


Canis Lupus Familiaris

by my_place12



Series: Another Life [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Animal Transformation, Dog - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Male Character, Gay Sex, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sexual Content, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-14 09:27:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 69,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7165553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_place12/pseuds/my_place12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few days off is exactly what the team needs after the hard cases they had solved in the previous two weeks. With days off, the team find ways to relax and rejuvenate themselves. Kono takes the chance to surf, Chin definitely looks for at least a day trip on his Harley, Danny spends time with Grace, and Steve takes those days to go out in the island’s forests, hiking and camping to his heart’s content. Everything seemed peaceful and relaxing. . .<br/>However, the governor calls with an important case. Not wanting to let anyone down, Danny agrees to work on the case. Eventually, being pulled from their own mini vacations, Chin and Kono arrive to help. Throughout the case, Danny calls Steve to explain the case and invite him back, but cannot reach him. After leaving several messages, Danny begins to worry when Steve does not call back.<br/>Little does Danny know, Steve stumbled into trouble and is now in a difficult situation, as well as in a difficult form.<br/>Can Steve work things out on his own? Or will Danny have to help him? Can Danny even help him, or is Steve forever doomed. . .in a canine’s body?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Thanks for being patient! Let me know what you guys think of this one! A sequel is due to follow after the last chapter of this one! I appreciate any feedback you give! Thank you again and enjoy!

It was a Wednesday evening around 7 o’clock. The team had departed from their offices about two hours previously. The team’s head, Steve McGarrett, was at him home in his room, pacing back and forth between his open dresser and his bed. The tall, brawny man placed clothing on his bed in small piles. As soon as he was done gathering his clothes, he began to roll the folded clothes and put them in a hiking back pack near his mess kit, packaged food, sleeping bag, and extra pillow. 

Steve grinned as he finished placing an extra pair of socks and undershirt in the bag. Since the team had been working so hard and was granted the four day weekend, Steve jumped at the chance to go on a hiking trip. _A four day weekend is exactly what we all need._ He thought as he walked to the bathroom. He left his travel bathroom pack wrap on the sink and looked up in the mirror. He almost didn’t recognize the face he saw. _God, I’ve aged. I really do need this excursion._

He grinned at the thought. He was so excited to get out the following morning. He bit his lower lip and headed back out to finishing his packing. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

“Oh, god. . .”

His whispers were only heard by him. He gripped himself tighter and stroked fast. He bit his lower lip and gripped onto the blanket on the bed he laid on. . .on _his_ bed that he laid on. 

“Fuck. . .” 

This had been going on for at least a half hour. He raised the feelings, stopped, let them simmer away, and then did it once more. Feelings gathered and rose higher once again as the stroking went faster and faster. His muscles tightened and he thrusted in small movements on the bed. 

“Oh, shit. . .” 

It was close. 

He was close. 

 _So close._  

Nearly there. 

_Almost there. . ._

He gasped in a breath and whispered a single name. 

“S-Steve. . .” 

One more hard stroke upward and white hot fluid jetted out of his hard, tortured cock. “Oh. . .” He groaned and grinned as waves of pleasure ran through his body, making him shudder and breathe out in glee. “Oh, god.” He moaned in into the night as he stroked the last of the fluid out, creating goosebumps along his flesh. “Shit.” He whispered out as his hand easily glided along his dick, now covered in hot, sticky, white substance. 

Danny Williams ran his fingers through his blonde hair that was now messy from a light sweat and moving his head against the sheets. He let his head and hand, he was using to comb his hair, fall against the bed. He closed his eyes and he breathed in the night. 

After several minutes, he opened his tired eyes. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He wondered. _Why am I thinking about him so much. . .and in this way too?_ He stroked his dick slowly as it grew soft and his tumescence waned away steadily. _Why am I. . .so turned on by his stupid actions? I mean, today. . ._

It really wasn’t Danny’s fault, or for that matter, it wasn't anyone's fault. After figuring out that Kono and Steve went to the docks by themselves to check out a car that had been driven off the docks by the last case’s perpetrators, Danny knew he had to get to the docks to help Kono and Steve out any way he knew how. 

As long as that did not involve getting in the unclear water that moved in the shadows of the buildings as the sun hid behind them. 

The car had contained evidence that would help convict the two men that had been head suspects of the case. Danny did not expect Kono and Steve to find the evidence so quickly, nor did he expect to find Steve pulling himself onto the deck, after diving, with only his jumpsuit bottoms, a snorkel mask, and a small mesh bag that most likely had the evidence they needed within it. 

Danny had just closed his car door as Steve jumped up on the deck, standing up as ocean water dripped off his body. He pulled his mask off and helped Kono up. Everything seemed to slow as Kono gestured towards Danny and Steve turned his body. His face brightened and he broke into a grin upon seeing Danny and waved at him. He began to walk towards him. Just as the sun was peeking out from behind the buildings in the morning, it touched Steve’s lovely toned and muscled abs, making them glisten with the added water running down his body. 

“Hey.” Steve had said. 

Danny grimaced on his bed as he remembered the morning. How he barely managed to make out a ‘hey’ back, how he gawked, how he. . .was just so unbelievably stupid. Steve had been. . .so hot. . .so attractive. . .in half of his wetsuit with his chest bare. 

Danny brought his fisted hand to his mouth and bit the back of it. _This can’t be happening._ He brought his hand to his head and slowly opened his eyes. He gazed up at the ceiling. 

 _God, I wish we could just. . ._ Danny grinned. _How great would it be?_ Danny breathed in and a fluttering excitement ran through his chest. Danny shook his head. 

_I can’t be thinking like this. I mean, he’s my best friend. . .my partner. . .arguably, my boss. I can’t keep. . .jerking off to thoughts of him, that’s. . .wrong, it’s. . .bad.  I know that this can’t happen. It will never happen for so many reasons. It’s just the way it is._

Danny sighed out and looked out the window that was across the room. 

_I wish it wasn’t that way though. . ._


	2. Chapter 2

Steve had been awake since 8 that morning. He had decided to sleep in and make sure that he was well rested and ready for the excursion. He had sat down for a nice breakfast, one that wasn’t massively big, but enough to satisfy him for a while. Now, he was getting the last few items ready in his pack. He had repacked and was finishing the packing with a few top items, like a portable charger, his toothbrush, and water packs. 

He was glancing over the last of his items when he heard his phone ring. He walked over to his side table where his phone was. He picked it up and grinned as he pressed answer. “Hey, what’s up, man?” 

“Steve! Hey! Whatcha doing today?” 

“I thought I told you, and Chin and Kono, that I was going to Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park for a much needed hike and campout.” 

“I think you failed to mention it. . .or at least failed to mention it to me, that hurts. . .and a campout? Or SEAL escapade?” 

Steve grinned. “Danny. . .” 

“Alright, alright. But. . .you know. . .what if we, uh, need your brain for. . .taking care of a bomb that’s going to blow up the city?” 

Steve smirked at the case all those months ago that left himself and Danny on a helicopter, flying away from a channel of water that exploded up at them after dropping a bomb into the ocean, hoping it would save the city of Honolulu. “I’ll have my cell phone on, and I’ll be in cell range the whole time, Danno. So, if you need me for taking down bombers-”

“Man, I’m just kidding you! Go! Have fun, try not to think about us.” Danny smiled over the phone. 

“Oh, you know I _always_ have you on my mind.” Steve teased as he walked over to his bag and picked it up. 

“Oh, really?” 

“Well, yeah. You think I could so easily forget your loud mouth?” 

Danny chuckled. “Hey, I thought you were okay with my loud mouth. . .” 

“When it’s closed, maybe.” 

“Oooo, man, you do need time away from me.” Danny smirked. “That one hurt.” 

“Aw, well, there’s a first aid kit in my office. Sorry I won’t be there to kiss it better.” Steve teased. 

“Damn, you’re cold. Like the water you swim in when you're off doing super classified SEAL missions.” 

Steve tsked. “Danno, Danno. Are you rusty? That was so mild.” 

Danny smiled. “Yeah. . .it’s pre-caffeine me. . .so, yeah, I’ll probably go get some or something.” 

Steve had an odd thought pop in his head. _If I hadn’t told him about my planned campout. . .which is definitely a possibility. . .was he hoping I’d go along for a coffee run?_ Steve pushed the thought away. “Any other plans?” 

“Oh, Grace was going to come over tonight. I think we were going to watch a movie or play a game or something. . .maybe talk about stuff.” 

“Birds and the Bees?” 

“No, no. Not just yet. She might ask questions along those lines. She’s been doing that more lately, so. . .I may have to.” 

“Well, you’re going to have to tell her eventually-”

“I know, I know. I just. . .I don’t know.” 

Steve smiled. “She’ll be better off for it. Would you rather her be the next girl on 16 and Pregnant?” 

“God, I hate that show.” Danny sighed. 

Steve laughed. “I do, too. You gonna mention that to Rachel?” 

“Ah, I have a feeling Rachel will freak out on me if I ask her about that stuff. Why else would Grace be coming to _me_ with these questions, ya know?” 

“Yeah. I get whatcha mean.” 

“So, yeah. . .she was going to come over. I had some errands to run eventually. . .and probably clean the house.” 

“Oh, yeah, cuz Danno lives in such a pigsty.” Steve said sarcastically. 

“Hey, I only have you to thank. After being hounded about my lifestyle when I was living with you, I had to adapt.” 

Steve chuckled. “Oh, Danno. . .what are we going to do with you?” 

“Probably kill me. . .during our next case. Or maybe steal my car. Probably damage it, if not destroy it. But I don’t know. Not psychic.” 

Steve laughed. “Ooo, now you’re getting a little sharper.” 

“Hey, when I wake up a little, I get better.” 

Steve chuckled. “Well. . .I better get going if I want to beat walking at night.” 

“How far are you going?” 

“Mmm. . .I was thinking I’d hike in 10ish miles and see where I’m at.” 

“Oh.” He paused and took in a deep breath. “Well, I hope you have fun. And I honestly mean that.” 

Steve smiled softly. “Thanks Danny.”

Danny hesitated. “You sure you’ll be okay?”

Steve smiled. “Yes, Danny. I’ll be fine.” 

Danny grinned. “Alright, alright. Go have fun.” 

“Thanks. You, too. Say hi to Grace for me.” 

“Yep, you got it.” 

“Bye!” 

“Bye.” 

Steve hung up his phone. He paused for a moment. _That was. . .a slightly weird conversation. . .even for Danny._ Steve thought for a second more before shrugging it off. _Doesn’t matter. . .if it does come to anything, it can wait. He even said he was tired and. . .it’s been a heavy work week. His mind is still. . .recovering._ He paused in his thoughts. _Alright, time to go._ Steve grinned as he grabbed his pack and headed downstairs to finally get on to his adventure. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Danny grimaced as he hung up the phone with Steve. _I hope I wasn’t too obvious. And how could I forget that trip of his? He’s been telling me about getting out of town for a while. Of course he’d jump at the chance to go._ Danny shook his head. _Who am I kidding? Trying the innocent cup of coffee outing was foolish. Thinking that this could be anything is foolish._ Danny shook his head again as he bit his lower lip. _How stupid can I act? Can I think? He saw right through me, I’m sure of it. God, could I be anymore stupid?_  

Danny walked into his kitchen. _Screw getting shit ton expensive coffee anyway._ He walked over to his coffee maker. _This sucks._ Danny thought grimly. He needed to get out of this funk. He needed a good distraction. _Maybe I’ll go out and take some photos today._ Danny thought as he took out his coffee grinds from a nearby cupboard. _I love taking photos. . .it always betters my day. I haven’t done it in a while._

Danny weakly smiled. _After coffee. . .things also get better with coffee._


	3. Chapter 3

Steve walked along a hiking trail in Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park. It was later in the day, with evening settling in. The sun had begun to move closer to the horizon, indicating that a beautiful sunset was approaching. 

Steve didn’t mind being by himself. It gave him time to think and process things. It had been a rough couple of weeks at work. Especially with the most recently finished case which involved a series of teenage boy-nappings. They found the napper and the 5 boys were all returned home to their families. But some of the things the napper had said to them and things that happened to the boys. . .

It was haunting. 

Steve continued on the trail. He had been hiking for a good 3 hours and decided it was time to stop. He looked around at his options. He followed the trail closest to the stream that flowed through the area. Then, he saw the perfect spot. 

A small clearing with flat ground, slightly above the stream, free of rocks, bushes and large sticks. 

He walked to it and placed his pack on the ground against a nearby tree. He pulled out his tarps and went to work setting up a makeshift shelter. 

After grabbing a few large sticks, sharpening ends on the 2 of them, and sticking them in the ground parallel to each other and about 5 feet a part, Steve took rope he had found in his garage and strung it between the two sticks and used stakes he brought with him to ground the rope to the dirt. He threw one of the tarps he brought on the ground, unfolding the tarp on the ground. He, then, took the other tarp and tossed it over the rope. He then placed stakes in the reinforced holes at the corners to pull it taunt. 

After fixing his make shift tent up, he gathered stones along the stream. He brought them to his site and started to form a circle with the rocks. 

As he worked with putting things in their places, he thought about the team. He smiled as he set some wood in the fire circle. They all deserved a break. They all deserved to do whatever their hearts desire. He knew Kono would be surfing on the North Shore. Chin would no doubt be taking his Harley out for some kind of day trips or few hour rides. And Danny would be spending the weekend with his lovely daughter, Grace.

Steve smiled. The thought of his team, his friends, being happy, made him happy. 

Very happy.

As he finished by setting his bag and his sleeping bag in the makeshift shelter, he took his canteen and drank from it. As he drank, he felt a strange eeriness come over him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Goose bumps flooded over his arms and down his back. His heart began to race. Steve looked around him. 

A figure, wearing a black jacket, was standing off in the distance, maybe 50 yards away. 

Steve slowly stood up and gazed at the person in black. The person seemed to gaze back at him. It was hard to tell the features of the person because they were so far away, but Steve felt very uncomfortable as the person just stared back at him.

The person in black stayed in their spot as Steve continued to look at them. _What the hell?_ Steve didn’t want to turn away but he did anyway. Just as he did, he was grabbed from behind. 

Steve grabbed the arm around his neck and twisted it as he turned around and saw a masked person. Another set of arms grabbed him, startling him. He elbowed the person who grabbed him from behind, letting go of the person in front of him. The person that grabbed him kept a hold of him and the person in front of him grabbed him again. A third set of hands came at him with a white cloth. 

 _Shit, no!_ Steve shook his head as he inhaled the sweet smell of chloroform, but it was no use. His vision blurred and he felt himself going limp. 

And then, everything went dark. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Well, Mac & Cheese it is, Monkey.” Danny grinned as he tickled Grace on his couch in his living room.  

Grace giggled and tried to tickle Danny back. “Danno! No! No tickling!” 

Danny continued for a bit before stopping. He stood up. “You pick the movie, and I’ll get started on dinner, muffin.” 

“Okay!” Grace exclaimed with enthusiasm as she scooted off the couch and moved to grab the remote to the T.V. 

Danny grinned and walked into the kitchen. He glanced at the clock. _Maybe I should check on Steve. I know he’s fine, but going out on a long hiking trip by yourself? I’ll just call him to check in._ He picked up his phone and dialed Steve’s number. 

He pulled a pot out and filled it with water. He turned the stove on and placed the pot of water on the stove. 

“Steve McGarrett here, leave a message and I’ll get back to you. Mahalo!” 

Danny frowned and hung up looking at his phone. _Steve always answers. . .unless he’s out swimming or in the shower. . .but he’s out hiking. . .maybe he didn’t hear it._ He tried the number again. 

He pulled out a bag of pasta from the pantry, three different cheeses and lettuce from the refrigerator, and he pulled some salt and pepper from his spice cabinet. 

“Steve McGarrett here. . .” 

Danny sighed as he listened to the rest of the message. _I’ll just leave a message._ “Hey, Steve. Just curious to know how the hiking earlier went. Hope you didn’t end up falling off the side of a cliff or hurting yourself somehow.” He paused and placed all of the items on the counter. “Anyway. . .I had some ideas about a case Kono was telling me about before we left. I know we’re on break and we have a few days off, but I figured I could bounce some of them off you. Before I forget them.” 

“Tell Uncle Steve I say hi!” Grace yelled. 

“Grace says hi. I guess I’ll talk to you later. Call me back. Kay. Bye.” Danny hung up. 

“Danno, why didn’t Uncle Steve answer his phone? He has reception where he’s at.” 

Danny picked up the Kosher salt and poured some into the pot of water that was still heating. He set it back in the spice cabinet. “I don’t know, sweetheart. He may not have heard it, maybe he couldn’t reach it in that big bag of his. . .he may have been away. . .um. . .” He paused, thinking of the best way to phrase the idea. “Answering the call of nature.” 

Grace giggled and Danny snorted at her spout of giggling. “He’ll call back. Don’t worry.” As he said the words, he tried to believe them. Danny couldn’t explain it, but it felt like something was off. 

Danny made a meal of homemade macaroni and cheese with a salad and a glass of 7Up for Grace and a small glass of wine for himself. 

He pulled out his phone as they ate on the floor. Leaning against the couch, and watching The Road to El Dorado, Danny saw that there were no messages or phone calls that he had missed. It was already almost 8. _I’ll call again once Grace is in bed. Steve likes early nights. . .I’ll be a tad bit more worried if he doesn’t pick up then._

They watched the rest of the movie and cleaned up after dinner. Danny tucked Grace in for sleep and then he went back out to the kitchen. He glanced at the time again. It was about 9:15. 

Danny pulled up his phone and tried Steve’s cell again. Again, he had waited through the rings and he was sent to voicemail. “Hey, man. Calling back again. It’s, uh, 9:15. I’m. . .surprised I haven’t heard back from you. Um. . .I hope I hear from you tomorrow morning. I’ll call you again if I don’t. Alright. Talk later. Bye.”

Danny hung up. He still had that odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He suppressed it, though, and went to settle in his room for bed. 

He plugged in his phone and laid on his bed. He looked at his phone one last before he put it down and he set his head to the pillow. _I hope he’s okay._ He closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_Where am I?_

It smelled like. . .oil. . .dirt and. . . _cleaning supplies? Bleach?_  

Steve opened his eyes slowly. Blurry lights clouded his vision. He winced at the pain that streak across his forehead, back, and right arm. He looked down at his right arm. A catheter was placed and wrapped with tape. He let out a small groan as he heard voices.

“This was never the plan! Abducting an innocent man in the clear light of day?! What were you thinking?!” The voice was male. He sounded anxious and afraid. 

“No one will know! He was by himself, he fit the requirements. . .and that’s that!” A female voice retorted. 

“People will know! I’m sure this man knows people. I’m sure this man has a family. We had a plan to ask volunteers. People come in at their own will! Are you really that foolish to believe no one will see that he’s gone?!” 

“Oh, shut up. We have the test subject. . .so let’s just do this. I want to see if this works.” 

“NO! You had me do animals, which I was completely against, and now. . .you want me to perform this on humans?! I can’t do this to him!” 

“Oh, I guess then, I can call _my_ men and tell them to off your family.” The female said. “And then I can call the newspapers and tell them to go ahead and publish a certain article about the findings you had with brain cancer research. . .” 

“NO!” 

Steve let out a small groan as he tried to open his eyes. 

“He’s up. Take vitals, give him fluids, and then come find me when you’re ready.” A female voice echoed around him. 

“He still seems pretty out of it.” A male voice said.

“Do it.” The female said firmly. 

Steve heard the male grunt his displeasure.

Steve tried to move, but he was restrained. Everything looked blurry and out of focus. He tried to focus but everything stayed blurry. _Focus. Need to look around. . ._ He looked down his body and saw several straps down his arms, his torso, and his legs. He took in a deep breath and let it out as he fisted his hands. His chest jumped as he felt the cold bell of a stethoscope on his chest. He breathed easily as he looked over at the man that was listening to his heart. 

The man didn’t look at him. He had southern European features. Possibly Italian. 

“Where am I?” 

The man glanced at him. “In a building.” He answered quietly. 

“Well, no shit, Sherlock.” Steve retorted, furrowing his brow as the man lifted a light to look into his eyes. 

“Just cool it, okay?” He murmured as he placed the light in his chest pocket. 

Steve gritted his teeth. The man grabbed an ear thermometer from his coat pocket “Ow, man, come on.” Steve jerked slightly as the man placed the thermometer in his ear. He had done it fairly roughly.

“Sorry.” The man mumbled. He withdrew the thermometer after it beeped and he wrote down his findings on a chart. Steve didn’t expect the man to apologize. It surprised him. As the man wrote his findings down, he took the chance to look around. 

Steve was surrounded by a few steel tables and some shelves. There were a few new looking laptops on a separate table. _Stolen maybe?_

There were some cages on the far back wall on his right side. He saw a few animals within the cages. _Monkeys. . .lynxes. . .exotic birds? What the hell is going on?_

He turned back to the man who walked back over to him. 

“Any pain?” 

“My head and my right arm.” Steve answered stiffly. 

He watched the man write down what he had said. 

“On any medication?”

“What does it matter to you?” Steve asked defensively. 

“Unless you want a bad reaction to happen within your body resulting in a very painful death, you’ll tell me the answers to the questions I ask. Now, are you on any medications?” He man was rude, abrupt, and seemed very annoyed. 

“No.” Steve answered.

“Any history of seizures, heart issues, or fainting spells?” 

“No. . .unless you’re counting the fainting spell from earlier today when you abducted me.” 

The man ignored him. He finished writing and then placed the chart on the table near the laptops. “I didn’t abduct you.” He murmured as he pulled a full liter bag that was hanging from a hook over to the table. He pulled the line down and hooked up the line to the catheter. He opened the clasp fully to let the liquid run. “Aw, damn.” He looked at the drip chamber. “Lu! I need 10 cc’s of flush.”

Steve shifted as the man walked over to the steel table. Steve tried to turn his head in the other direction with much difficulty. He gazed at the left side of the building. Tubes and funnels with burners and beakers filled his sight. It looked like something from a college chemistry lab. 

Steve heard footsteps and saw a woman, the person the Italian man probably referred to as ‘Lu’. She handed him a needle loaded syringe. 

The man turned back to him. He injected the cold saline into his catheter. It was cold and Steve hadn’t expected it, so he jumped a little. 

“Chill out.” The man murmured. 

“Maybe warn me.” Steve grunted at the stinging in his arm. 

The man stayed quiet and turned to the clasp of the I.V. line. “Look, I’m sorry.” The man looked at him. “For everything.” 

Steve gazed at him. “Who are you?” 

The man didn’t say anything. He looked very upset. . .almost on the verge of breaking down. Steve felt a little sorry for him. “What’s going on?” Steve tried. 

The man turned back to the line and focused on it. He seemed to gaze at it in anguish. 

Steve took another chance to look around. He looked up at the ceiling and saw an area that looked like a bell tower structure without a bell. Instead of a bell, there was a small window on one side of the small structure. 

_A sky light? It’s dark out. . .night. . .same night? Early morning?_

“Meeting! Now!” A female voice echoed through the building. 

Steve still felt so out of it. He felt tired. . .and drained. He grabbed the man’s shirt as he had turned to leave. “Have I been sedated?” 

The man gently took his hands and pried it from his shirt. “You were several hours ago.” 

Steve’s eyes were heavy. “Please. . .tell me what’s going on.” 

The man looked over his shoulder. He looked unsure. “We’re testing some drug agents. I guess my. . .‘associates’ decided that abducting a man and testing a man against his will was okay.” 

“Help me get out of here, and I will testify for you. You were doing this to protect yourself as well as me.” 

The man shook his head. “It’s hopeless. I can’t do that. . .my. . .my family’s in danger if I do that.” 

“Man, look.” Steve looked him in the eye. “I promise. . .you have my word. . .your family will be safe if you help me. Please.” 

The man looked over his shoulder again. “I can try.” He paused. “You need to be careful.”

“Are there any weapons on them or on you?”

“No. I’m not allowed a weapon. I don’t know where the gun is. But I think it’s towards the back. It may be in the safe.” The guy looked at Steve.

Steve saw the worry in his eyes. He wanted to comfort him. “If I tell you that I’m with local law enforcement, will that make you feel better?”

The man gazed at him. “You’re a cop?” 

“Help me get out of here, and you’ll find out.” 

The man nodded as he looked over Steve’s body. “Okay. Um, they don’t know I know about the gun. They. . .they brought me here mainly to make the drug.”

“Can this drug hurt me?” 

The man looked into his eyes. “It’s meant to kill.” 

Steve felt a chill run through his body. 

“It went according to their plan last time we tested it. But it won’t this time. Hopefully.” 

Steve looked into the man’s eyes. 

“I. . .I can’t kill innocent beings.” He paused. “This was way more than I bargained for.” 

“What?” Steve asked.

The man looked at him. “My name is Dr. Robert Young. I’m being blackmailed into helping these women and men make and deliver tests. My son. . .my son. . .” He trailed off, his voice breaking slightly. 

“Hey, hey.” Steve murmured. He tried to think of another way to comfort the man, but the doctor continued on.  

“I. . .I tampered with some of the compounds. . .and-”

“Will it hurt me?”

The man shook his head. “Maybe at the start. But after, no. . .it shouldn’t with the things I messed with.” He paused. “There is a reversal.” 

“But. . .the reversal won’t work if you’ve fiddled with the thing it’s supposed to reverse. . .right?” Steve reasoned. 

The man shook his head. “The reversal has a way of completely resetting the body. Without completely resetting things like memories and individuality. It’s based off of the participant’s serum. Your serum. We took about 8 vials of your blood, so we’ll have plenty of serum to get you out of this.” 

Steve had so many questions but the man turned to him. “I have to go.” Steve felt the man grip his hand gently and let go. He almost seemed sympathetic.

Steve watched him go and moved his gaze back to the ceiling. _Fuck, what am I doing here? What is this about? I need to remember these faces and these people. A girl named. . .at least one more female. . .and a Dr. Robert Young._ He began to wiggle in his binds, hoping to loosen them. After several minutes of trying to do this, he did manage to stretch the strap quite a bit. His wrists hurt from rubbing against the straps. 

He stopped as he heard footsteps. He turned his head to where the sound was coming from. Three individuals approached him. 

“Alright, we have everything we need?” One woman asked. 

Steve glared at them as the woman looked behind them. 

“Yes, everything is set up.” The shorter woman replied. 

“The solution and the reversal is here?” 

“Well, it’s right there in front of you, so obviously, yeah.” The short woman retorted. 

The taller woman ignored her annoyed tone. “Good, good. Now let’s begin.”

Steve tensed as the woman approached him. “What are you doing?” He asked as he struggled against his binds. 

“Just sit back, and know that you helped many people by being part of this experiment.” The woman said. 

Steve struggled again. The woman wasn’t making sense. From her tone, it sounded like he wouldn’t survive past the evening. “Let me go!” 

“You’ve seen too much. We can’t.” She said simply. 

 _Oh, fuck, they’re gonna kill me after they do whatever to me._ Steve thought as he looked around. _A way out. . .I need a way out. . ._

“Okay, let’s begin.” The woman repeated as she turned to the table behind her. 

Steve saw a door quite a distance to his left, past the funnels and the tubes. The only door in the entire place, it seemed. _My only way out._

Steve had not noticed the woman turn back around and head to him. She placed a hand to his arm and just as he turned, he saw the needle of a syringe, full of an orangey fluid, being placed into his I.V. line.

“Hey! Stop! What are you doing?!” Steve fidgeted and moved his arm the best he could in the restraints he was in.

He saw the orange fluid flow into his catheter and into his vein. It terrified him, seeing the strange liquid being injected into him. The woman finished and pulled the syringe out and turned away. Within a few seconds, he felt a hot, burning, stinging sensation in his arm. It crept up his arm and spread through his body. He let out a gasp as he clenched his right fist. “What is this stuff?!” Steve asked as he felt the burning, stinging sensations move across his chest, down his body, and up to his head. 

The woman who seemed to be the head of everything stepped forward. She held onto a clipboard and began to write things down. “Can you tell us what you are feeling right now?” 

Steve reached out and grabbed her coat. “MAKE IT STOP!”

The woman struggled against his hold. “Give me the gun!” She yelled to the other woman. 

The man known, as Dr. Robert Young, leapt to break them apart. 

“I can’t find it!” The woman shouted. 

Steve began to feel pain start. Sharp pricks and stabbing like feeling swept over his body. He let out a loud groan. “What the fuck is this?!” He shouted. “HELP ME!” He yelled uncontrollably as it felt like his body was being pummeled. He felt himself start to shake violently.

“Go look in the safe!” The woman bellowed. “Get off!” She yelled at Steve. 

Steve needed to get out of this if he was going to survive. He began to move his left hand out of the restraint. 

“It’s not here!” The other woman shrieked from a ways away. 

Robert was able to gently break Steve’s hold on the woman’s coat. The woman ran to where the other woman was. 

Robert turned to Steve as he began to fiddle with Steve’s restraints. “You have to get out of here.” 

“Where’s the reversal? What is this?!” Steve murmured to him as he gasped through the pain. 

“I can’t give you the reversal right now. It may cause bad reactions with the compound if given too soon. You need to go!” He said, looking over his shoulder and continuing to undo the restraints. “Punch me in the face.” He murmured quickly as he undid Steve’s leg restraints. 

“What?” Steve asked as he fiddled with his other leg restraint. His body ached. His stomach burned. His chest burned. His whole body felt like it was on fire. 

“Punch me in the face so it looks like you escaped. Stay low in the woods nearby, and I’ll try to get the reversal out to you as soon as possible.” 

Steve stood up off the table and ripped the IV line out. He felt very wobbly and sick by the movements.

“Hit me.” The guy said again, looking behind him. 

Steve groaned and stumbled to the guy. He grabbed onto the guy’s shoulder, pulled back his balled fist, and delivered a punch square in the jaw. 

The guy stumbled back, groaned, and crashed into a metal stand that held a few items on it. He grabbed his chin and rubbed it. “Go.” He spoke so only Steve could hear him. 

Steve turned to the door and began to run very uncoordinatedly. He opened the door and began to make his way to a thick area of trees. _Fuck, what did they give me?_ Steve wondered as he made his way to the tree line outside. 

Stumbling and tripping over nothing, he ducked past the bushes. He ran as far as he could from the warehouse. He eventually could not handle the pain his was feeling while he was running, and he collapsed in the tall grass. He heard shouts as he laid on his stomach, breathing heavily. He couldn’t get up. He trembled in the cool night air. His body began to shake violently from the temperature and the pain erupting all over his body. 

Steve bit his lower lip. _Stay quiet, don’t scream. Keep still. Don’t draw attention to yourself. This will be over soon. . .hopefully._

He tried to get himself up, but that only made things worse. His body throbbed and he felt stabs all over. He bit his lip to keep from shouting out. He began to see white stars blur his vision.

_No. . .I have to. . .stay. . .awake. . ._

Steve’s mind shut down. He couldn’t think. His vision blurred as he fell back in the tall grass that covered his body. His heart pounded in his ears. 

_Stay. . .awake. . ._

All Steve knew in the world around him went dark as his head gently touched the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny opened his eyes at the sound of his alarm. He sleepily reached over and tapped the alarm. _Okay. . .need to get up._

Danny stiffly sat up and uncovered himself. He got himself ready for a day off, taking a shower, combing his hair back and applying styling gel, along with hair spray. It strangely felt like a normal work day. Danny knew it was only due to waking up early and seeing Grace off to school. He smiled at the thought of his daughter. _I would wake up early for her every morning._ He smiled at the reflection in the mirror. He walked out of his bathroom and pulled on some jeans and a shirt. 

He walked out of his room down the hall to Grace’s room. He tapped the girl’s shoulder. “Grace. Grace sweetie?” 

The girl didn’t stir. 

Danny moved closer and tapped her shoulder again. “Monkey.” He whispered. 

“Mmmm.” Grace shifted against her pillow.

“Time to get up, sweetie.” Danny whispered. 

“Danno. . .it’s too early.” Grace grumbled. 

“I know, I know, hun.” Danny patted her shoulder again. He stood up and walked over to her window. He drew the blinds back. “But today is filled with potential. You have your education waiting and your buddies waiting to learn and laugh with you, so let’s go.” 

Grace let out a small grumbling noise before she rolled over and stumbled out of the bed, walking to the door to go to the bathroom. 

“There you go. What do you want for breakfast?” 

“Hmmm. Eggs and toast?” 

“Eggs and toast it is.” Danny smiled at her. 

She smiled at him and turned to the bathroom.

Danny walked towards the kitchen and began gathering the items for a breakfast. _I’ll have to grab more stuff at the store._ Danny thought as he scanned the inside of his fridge. _I need to make Grace a lunch, too. Wonder what she’d like. I can get it started._ He thought as he grabbed an apple. _But let’s see. . .I’ll need to go to the grocery store. . .stop by the gas station. . .and then I can get home and get a jump start on cleaning. . ._

Danny sighed. _So much to do. But it’ll get done._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
****

Green. . .green everything. . .

Green ground, what with the grasses and ivy popping up. Green bushes nearby. Green leaves in the trees as the wind blew by. 

Steve was on his side. He gently lifted his head. He winced. It was stiff, his whole body felt stiff as he tried to sit up. He placed his forearms out. 

What he thought was his forearms. 

He had looked down and his vision was met by a pair of two forelegs. . .covered in dark brown fur. Steve blinked and looked again. The two dark brown forelegs still rested on the ground in front of him. 

Steve forcedly blinked several more times and the forelegs still stayed. 

_What the. . .What is this?_

Steve could feel his insides tug and twist in panic and horror. He made an effort to push his upper body up. 

_What tha?!_

He felt lighter. . .significantly lighter.  As he moved his body, the furry forelegs moved with him. He looked underneath him. _I’m not laying on an animal, am I?_ As he looked down, he saw nothing, just an imprint in the grass. 

_What. . .the. . .fuck. . ._

The imprint in the grass didn’t look like his. He could feel himself start to panic. _What the fuck happened last night? What the fuck happened to me?_

Steve took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. _Water. . ._ He could smell it. He could hear it. The trickling and rush of the water as it moved across rocks and fallen branches. 

Just as he took a step forward, he stumbled, only slightly regaining his balance before he tried to take another step, and failed. His body crashed into the ground. 

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_ Steve took a second and let his body rest against the ground. He let out a breath and lifted his head again to turn to look behind him. 

Two furry hind legs, the same color as his forelegs, rested against the ground. Resting beside them was a tail. . .a big dark brown, bushy tail. 

Steve’s eyes rested on the tail. He could not move. He did not want to move. _Seriously, what. . .the. . .royal. . .fuck?_ He couldn’t take his eyes off it. It connected to him. To his body! It was _part_ of him. 

He, Steve McGarrett, had a tail. 

He blinked several times and continued to stare at the dark brown, bushy tail. _This isn’t a big deal. . .I’m. . .I’m just hallucinating. Stress, bad bump to the head, lack of water and food. . .That’s it. I need to get to that water._

He lifted himself up again. He took a couple of steps forward. He felt very shaky and unstable as he walked, following the scent and the sound of the water. 

However, as he walked toward the noise and the smell of the water, it was not as close as he thought. He walked for a considerably long time, thinking that it was just over this hill, just around that bush, maybe near that tall tree, and surely near those big boulders.

Finally, through a thicket of trees and ivy, he came to a small clearing with a wide stream. 

Steve sighed in relief. _Thank God._ He thought to himself as he moved to body of water. He made his way down to the small shore like bank. Just as he was about to lean in and take a drink, he saw a sign. 

WARNING! 

LEPTOSPIROSIS

HEALTH HAZARD 

FRESH WATER STREAMS AND MUD POSSIBLY POLLUTED WITH BACTERIA  
EXERCISE CAUTION

 _Fuck. Why did I think I would be this lucky?_ He thought to himself as his eyes read the letters. _Lepto? No, thanks. I’d like to keep my kidneys and liver, thank you._ Steve sighed in frustration as he turned to walk back. _Wait. . ._ He turned back. _Aren’t those signs red? Why is that sign. . .green looking?_ He gazed at the sign. The usual red letters were green. He looked around again. The world looked different now that he was paying attention to it. Something was missing. The world was dark. . .almost gray looking. 

 _What is missing? There’s a color missing. . ._ Steve continued to look around. _I see. . .blues, yellows. . .gray. . ._ He looked at different items around him. A rock, a fallen tree branch, a few flowers. 

His trail of gazing stopped at the flowers. 

_Red. . ._

Steve gazed at the flower. _That is a red ginger plant._ Steve blinked. _But why isn’t it red?_ He stared hard at the flower and blinked forcefully. _Why isn’t it red?! What is wrong with my eyes?! What is wrong with me?!_ Steve looked at the water. He swallowed. _Am I. . .am I even me?_ He took a step forward. _Who am I?_

Peering into the water, Steve gazed at his reflection. He had long snout and eyes set on either side of the bridge of his nose. 

He breathed in through his long nose and watched as his black nostrils flared in the reflection. His ears that once stayed flat against the sides of his head were now straight up. And furry. 

Steve made a gasp like noise. He stepped back, slightly stumbling on his legs. He looked down. _Furry paw like appendages._ Steve turned his head. _Furry side. . ._ His eyes followed his side to his back legs. _Furry hind legs? And. . ._ Steve made that same gasp like noise again. _A tail?_ He turned and kept his eyes on that long, brown, fluffy tail. _I can smell and hear things miles away. . .And. . .I can’t see red. . ._

Steve looked back forward. He could feel himself begin to breathe rapidly and his chest tightened with worry and anxiety. 

 _Am I even in the same life? Is this my next life now? I’m a dog?_ Steve shook himself. _No. . .Steve. . .stop. I’m still in Hawaii. I. . .I remember. . ._

Steve remembered. He remembered the warehouse. . .the woman. . .the other woman. . .and the doctor. _What happened to him? Why didn’t he find me? Is he okay? Did they. . .kill him?_ Steve shook his head. _Okay, okay. Calm down. . .deep breath in. . .and out. . .okay. Now. Focus. What to do?_ Steve paused to think. _I need to get to that warehouse. They have the reversal._ Steve grimaced. _Who the hell am I kidding? I can’t go back there. Not without backup. . ._ Steve took in a deep breath. _Backup. . .Danny!_ Steve’s heart beat quickly. _Danny can help me out!_

Steve let out a relieved breath as he thought of it. _Danny can help me. I just. . .have to figure out where the hell I am and then find out how to get to Danny’s._

Steve looked down. _Okay. . .find my bearings. Find Danny. . ._ Steve brought his face up and looked around. _I need to find higher ground._

Steve took a step to his left, towards a small opening in the trees that surrounded the stream. He was able to walk pretty well without stumbling about. _Getting the hang of these legs._ Steve thought lightly. 

He moved towards a small mountain that stood high in front of him. _Find my bearings. And find Danny._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Bye sweetie. Have a good day at school!” Danny murmured to Grace as he gave her a kiss on the forehead and a small hug. 

“Bye, Danno! I will! You have a good day, too!” Grace murmured back into the hug before stepping out of the car. 

“I’ll call you tonight, okay?” 

“Okay! Love you, Danno.” 

Danny smiled. “Love you, too, monkey.” 

Grace smiled before closing the door. She waved goodbye as she headed up the steps to the doors of her school. 

Danny looked to drive but stopped as he heard his phone ring. He pulled it out of his cup holder, not bothering to look at the caller I.D. “Hello?” He asked as he answered it, slightly hoping it was Steve returning his call. 

“Detective Williams?” A voice full of authority sounded over the line. 

Danny’s heart pounded in his chest as he realized who it was. “Governor. Yes, hello. How-how are you, sir?” Danny answered, somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t Steve. Confusion came over Danny as he had responded to the Governor. _Why is he calling me?_

“I have been better, to be honest. Thank you. I was hoping you, as well as the five-0 team, would be up for a task.” 

 _A task?_ “Um. . .” He swallowed and cradled his phone in between his shoulder and ear. “Well. . .I mean. . .we all somewhat had. . .plans the next couple of days because we had them off-” 

“I know, I know. I tried calling Commander McGarrett to explain, but he did not answer. He must be busy or caught up with something. And I am sorry, but. . .this task-this case. . .it’s somewhat dire.” 

 _Steve didn’t answer the Governor?_ Danny furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. _Where the hell is he? What is going on with him?_

“Detective?” 

Danny shook himself from his thoughts of Steve. “Yes-sorry, sir. I-I’m listening.” Danny answered as he grabbed a pen and pad. 

“Herbert Smith, out of Los Angeles, California, is due to arrive this afternoon for a press conference on Saturday. We have reason to believe he is in immense danger. As he was due to leave this morning, his security was attacked as they went to take off. News of his arrival time and airline leaked to some people that are very. . .anti-his-work, I guess. He has a lack of security personnel on the flight with him and. . .I mean. . .” 

Danny listened as the man paused and sighed. 

“I’m somewhat close to this man and his family. We knew each other when we were young, and. . .” He paused again. “Look. . .I’m asking you guys and not HPD because. . .I know you guy’s work with cases like this and. . .it would mean a lot to me if you guys could take this case and protect him until he’s on his way home Sunday. . .and possibly find the group that is threatening him.” 

Danny rose his eyebrows as he wrote down the details. “We’re on it, sir. I can’t guarantee everyone’s participation, due to plans, but I’ll see what I can do. Do we have a history with threats and attacks?” 

“This is the first physical attack. That’s mainly why he’s so shaken up. . .he never really took the threats seriously because no one ever acted upon them.” 

“Did he have, like. . .a head of security? Did they look into any of these threats?” 

“No, no head. . .no one really looked into the threats. I think the police back home may have looked into it but when the threatening calls and letters stopped, they couldn’t follow the trail anymore. No major evidence was brought forward. . .the guy’s dealing with a ghost group.” 

Danny squinted his eyes. “Okay. . .what makes you think it’s a group? When is he due to arrive this afternoon?” 

“Look, Detective Williams, I’m sorry to call you on the fly and leave you hanging, but I do have an urgent meeting. I’ll have my secretary send you everything.” 

Danny skewed his mouth to one side. “Alright. I’ll be waiting for that information. I’ll also keep you updated, sir.” 

“Thank you. Really, Detective Williams, thank you.”

Danny smiled softly. “Oh, yeah. You’re welcome.” 

“I’ll call you later.” 

“Sounds good, sir.” 

“Aloha.” 

“Aloha.” 

Danny clicked end on his phone and rolled his eyes as he pulled up Kono’s number. _Three way call to the team at 8:00?_ He shook his head. _What a wonderful life._ He thought as he brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, Kono, you got a moment?” 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steve had climbed the small hill and turned to look at the sights around him. _Okay. . .so. . .maybe 5 miles to where I set up camp? Not too bad, I guess. It could be worse._

Steve sighed. It was going to be a long day of walking and possible jogging until he got to Danny’s house. 

_Danny’s house is maybe 15 miles from the park. . .I had to hike in about 10 miles. . .25 miles plus the 5 from where I’m at. . ._

_30 miles. . ._

_A 30 mile journey to Danny’s house. . .that’s possible in a day, right?_ Steve sighed again. _Maybe as a dog I can make it._ He thought optimistically. _Okay._ He took in a breath. _Let’s do it._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_He hasn’t picked up. . ._

“Okay, so. . .Dr. Herbert Smith. . .40 years old. . .he got his doctorates in environmental studies as well as ecology. . .he has received threats. . .because of his work with trying to help cut back the carbon footprint on the world?” Kono asked with a look of disbelief on her face. 

“Actually. . .according to these reports. . .there was no evidence to suggest that the reason he was attacked was because of his environmental work.” Chin said as he looked over his tablet at the email the governor sent him. 

_He didn’t pick up when the Governor called. . ._

“So, is it personal?” Kono wondered out loud. 

“It’s possible.” Chin answered. “But. . .I mean. . .the guy’s a stellar guy. No foul play anywhere. No record. Not even a speeding ticket. No angry investors. . .no angry old friends or classmates. . .or enemies. . .it doesn’t even look like he _had_ enemies.” 

 _And he didn’t pick up when Chin called._  

Kono turned to Danny, who was staring blankly at the screen. “What do you think, Danny?” 

Danny continued to stare at the screen, blankly, hypnotized by his thoughts. _Something is wrong. This isn’t like Steve at all._

“Danny?” 

_I mean he would’ve picked up to one of us. Especially the Governor. Is he out of cell range? He wasn’t when I called. He wasn’t when Chin called. . .I wonder if the Governor heard the rings or if it just went to voicemail. Where is he? I hope he’s okay._

“Danny!” Kono said again with a little more volume. 

Danny shook himself. “What?” He asked as he looked at her. “I’m sorry.” 

Kono shook her head. “Head somewhere else?” 

Danny shook his head again. “No. . .I’m sorry. What was your question?” 

“Attacks against Smith. Personal vendetta, yes or no? What do you think?” 

Danny shrugged. “I don’t know. I think our best bet is to ask him directly about past encounters when he arrives.” 

“Alright. When is he due to arrive, again?” Chin asked. 

“I think in about 2 hours.” 

“We better request several groups of SWAT to move to the airport. If the Governor believes Smith is in danger, then we should take some precautions.” Danny pointed out. “And we better get going because of that presumption.” 

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Chin said as he pulled out his phone. “I’m calling Duke for back up.” 

Danny followed the cousins out of the building and they all headed to the airport. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steve had been jogging at a good pace for at least 5 hours. Every so often, he’d to a small break, find his bearings, and continue on through the state park. He stopped once more in the shade of the trees. He panted heavily through his open mouth. _Fuck, I need water._ Steve thought as he rested in the shade. 

He was near the entrance he could tell. The trail had become visually clearer and he heard the sounds of trucks and cars pulling in and out of the parking lot that was stationed near the entrance. He looked up towards the entrance gate. He could see cars and trucks through the branches of the trees that stood tall in the park. 

 _Okay. . .I’ve made it out. . .I must have 15 more miles to Danny’s house. . .another 4 or 5 hours? Oh, god._ Steve thought as he walked along the trail. He walked into the parking lot. _I’ll have to be careful about being seen by too many people, because if they see me, they’ll call animal control. And I can’t get stuck at the animal control center or the pound._

Steve walked towards the road that sat outside of the parking lot. He saw his truck. _Oh, yeah. My truck. It should be okay until Monday. . .but then, they may tow it. . .no one will know where I am. . ._ Steve sighed. _Okay. . .I’ll just need to move for another several of hours and I’ll make it to Danny’s._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“So. . .he doesn’t recall any person in his past that could be doing these things?” Danny asked Chin as they and Kono stood near the tech table located near the center of the team’s offices. It had been about an hour since they had picked Herbert Smith up from the airport. They had arrived at HQ and Kono and Chin had spent about 45 minutes talking to Dr. Smith about every inch of his personal and professional life. 

“No. He can’t think of anyone. No old friends. . .no family members, no colleagues. . .he feels that he treated everyone with respect and wronged no one.” Chin said. 

“That relates to what I found electronically, too. His business. . .his social life. . .everyone likes him.” Kono said. 

Danny let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his temples as an ache began to set within them. “Okay, okay. His business. . .let’s go with that, let’s talk about it. He is the CEO of what exactly?” 

“It was his father’s business. It’s a station for a local newspaper in the area.” 

“Okay. . .so, maybe we should check with his father’s connections. . .his friends, colleagues, et cetera.” Danny thought. 

“Yeah, I’ll get on it.” Kono murmured as she turned to walk back to her office. 

“Okay. Chin, do you want to go in and ask him about his father’s reputation? I know the man died recently. . .” 

“Yeah, I’ll go in.” Chin said. “He seems pretty comfortable when we were talking.” 

“Awesome, I’ll go check those security tapes from the airport in LA and see if I can find anything.” Danny said. 

“Good, I’ll meet you back here when we’re done?” Chin asked as he went to walk back downstairs to where Dr. Herbert Smith was. 

“Yup, you got it!” Danny called after him as he retreated to his office. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steve had jogged long hours along quiet streets to Danny’s house. Dodging cars and people had shown its difficulties, but Steve managed. He finally ended up in front of the house. The familiar,  gorgeous looking house. It was a relieving sight for Steve. He gazed at the nicely planted bushes on the sides of the house in the planter boxes and the crisp, white walls that met a black frame as well as the few steps up to the front door. 

 _Hmmm. It doesn’t look like he’s home yet._ Steve thought as he looked at the carport. _I wonder where he is. . ._

He looked around. _Well, it’s almost 6. . .he should be home soon._

Steve took a deep breath and looked around again. _Fuck, I need water. . .please, just any clean water. . ._

He circled the property. He couldn’t find any free water. . .nothing dripping from the hose on the side of the house, nothing in a puddle or basin of any kind. . .anywhere on the property. _Damn. I hope Danny gets home soon._

Steve moved to the safety of the shade beneath a few trees and bushes by a nearby fence. He laid down in the cool dirt and rested his chin on his forearms. He let out a big sigh. _Soon Danny will be here, and everything will be okay._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Danny! News from downstairs and Kono’s office.” Chin spoke as he walked into Danny’s office. 

Danny looked up from his papers that were strewn across his desk. “Oh?” 

“Yeah, ‘oh’ is right.” Chin said as he placed his tablet in front of Danny. “Turns out, Herbert Smith’s father was stellar as well. He had no enemies. . .he believed in keeping a good reputation with investors and people in general. A lot of people like the company and the newspaper. It’s always reliable, without biased news. . .well, in the sections that don’t require bias.” 

“Nothing on him? No. . .record, no. . .past ill doings?” Danny asked incredulously. 

“Nothing.” Chin scrolled on his tablet, showing Danny the man’s profile. “He, like his son, is clean.” 

Danny sighed as he gazed at the profile. “Oh, holy hell. . .” He expressed with frustration. “Okay, okay. Does anyone else in his family not like that he talks about the environment?” 

“Um. . .” Chin thought for a moment. “I don’t think so.” 

“Look. . .okay, this person may not have a problem with him, but they may have a problem with his principles or morals when it comes to the environment. And as we all know, people do some pretty crazy things when they think their morals are right or above others.” 

“Hmmm. . .” Chin hummed as he thought about it. “Makes sense. I can ask him about it.” 

Danny shook his head. “Maybe it’ll be better if we just dug on our own. I mean. . .nobody is a saint, and I’m not saying I don’t believe his testimony about him and his father. . .but. . .” He paused. “Maybe there’s something more to this.” 

Chin nodded. “I understand. Where should we start?” 

Danny took in a deep breath. “Family. . .let’s just start there. Let’s dive deep. . .an estranged cousin, an unknown brother or sister, an angry ex of his great uncle’s. . .twice removed nephew, let’s just find something.” 

Chin grinned at his crazy sentence. “Alright. Back in a while.”

“Hey, Chin?”

Chin stopped and looked at Danny. “Yeah?” 

Danny shifted in his seat. “When you called Steve earlier, did it go straight to voicemail?” 

Chin thought for a moment. “No. It rang for a bit.” 

Danny tilted his head. “Don’t you find that a bit odd.” 

Chin shrugged. “I assumed he didn’t hear it.” 

Danny looked down at his desk and skewed his lips to one side. 

“What’s up?” Chin asked. 

Danny shrugged. “I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right.” 

Chin furrowed his brows. “Like, what?” 

Danny shifted in his seat. “Don’t you think it’s odd, that he didn’t answer the Governor’s call? As well as yours?” He paused. “And mine. . .” He added in a mumble. 

Chin shrugged again. “Maybe. . .his phone’s dead.” 

Danny shook his head. “Calls would’ve gone straight to voicemail if it were.”

Chin thought for a second. “Hmm. . .maybe he’s at a difficult part on the trail. You know? Where he can make calls, but he receives them later. I don’t know, Danny.” He paused. “Look. He’s fine. He out on a getaway camping trip. He probably wanted to hike some more before coming in.” 

Danny didn’t say anything more. Chin’s words weren’t of much comfort to him. He still felt like something was off. 

“You okay?” 

Danny looked up at him. “Yeah. . .um. . .I’ll see you later.” He said looking at the papers on his desk and shrugging Chin’s words off. 

Chin nodded. “Okay.” He said as he headed out the door. 

Danny looked over to Steve’s dark office. _Something’s off. . .I don’t know what it is, but this is not like Steve at all. . ._ Danny thought. 

Just then, his cell phone rang on his desk. He leapt for it, seeing Governor Denning’s contact information on the screen. 

“Detective Williams.” He murmured into the phone. The Governor’s voice and questions drew his thoughts back to the case, leaving the thought of Steve drifting around in the back of his mind. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A while later, Danny stared at a letter that had been placed in a plastic evidence bag. It was a letter of hate, threat, and anger. His heart had been pounding hard with fear and anxiety as he read it and listened to the story behind it.

“It was delivered at your door?” Kono clarified. 

“Um. . .yes. I heard a knock, and I-I went to answer it. . .” The man drifted off as he sat in front of the team. “I had only been there. . .maybe 10 minutes. Just to freshen up. My recently hired body guard, Clark, had been waiting in the lobby for me, as I had told him to. . .he was pretty frazzled  about everything.” Herbert Smith said as he looked out of Danny’s office and over to his body guard, who paced at the windows. He adjusted his glasses and ran a hand through his medium length dirty, blond hair that looked unkept and stuck out every which way. 

“The hotel will have tapes. We need to question the body guard, Clark, too.” Chin murmured to Danny and Kono. 

“Um. . .” 

They turned to the man, who looked at them with wide eyes. 

“I-um. . .I don’t feel safe in that hotel. . .or any where really. . .but. . .is there anyway you can accommodate me. . .here?”

Danny rose his eyebrows. “You want to stay here. . .listening to all of us try to figure out who is behind this-” 

“I just need a quiet corner for a few hours rest for tomorrow’s press conference and meetings. You won’t even know I’m here.” Dr. Smith said. 

“You can stay.” Kono answered. 

Chin and Danny glanced at her. 

“Yeah. We can keep an eye on you, you’ll be safe, and we can work on finding the one responsible for this.” Kono said. 

“Thank you. Thank you all. Where shall I stay?” 

Still baffled about the situation of the doctor staying in their office, Danny offered a suggestion. “He can stay in Steve’s office.”  

“It’s locked.” Chin said.

Danny reached into his trouser pocket. He pulled out his set of keys and picked a specific key, all almost absentmindedly. “Here.” He sighed. 

Kono grinned. “Thank you, Danny.” She said as she took the key and turned to Dr. Smith. “Let’s go. I’ll show you to the office. We can grab some. . .er, bed things. . .there’s a couch in there you can rest on and. . ..did you leave your stuff at the hotel?”

The man nodded. “Mmm-hmm. I did, I was so freaked out-”

“Not a problem, we can send someone to grab your stuff, if you’d like.”

“I’d like that. I’d really appreciate that.” The man nodded again as he walked next to Kono as they headed to Steve’s office. 

Danny looked back at the letter. 

“Um. . .I didn’t know you had a key to Steve’s office.” Chin said, tilting his head as he peered over Danny’s shoulder to look at the letter.

Danny continued to read the letter again. “Hmmm?” He paused, taking in Chin’s words. “Oh, yeah. He gave it to me a while ago.” 

Chin nodded. “Oh.” 

Danny thought about the day Steve gave him the key. Steve had walked into his office when Danny was working on some paper work and asked if they could talk. Danny agreed and they sat near each other on Danny’s office couch. Danny remembered Steve telling him just how much he trusted Danny and how he never felt more comfortable with a partner than he had when he was with Danny. Danny had been astounded. Never before had Steve confided in him in such a way. For one reason or another, that was the first time Danny realized his feelings for Steve. It was the first time he had consciously thought about his feelings for Steve. He liked him. He admired him. _Oh, shit. . .I really like him. . ._

Danny shook himself from the memory. “Um, we should probably get this processed for prints. We can figure out camera feeds from the hotel. I’ll call them right now.” He said reaching for his office phone. 

“Yep. I’ll get this to the lab. I’ll check in on Kono about that call for pick up of Dr. Smith’s things.”

Danny nodded as he placed the phone to his ear. “Awesome. Group up when you get back from the lab.”

Chin nodded and headed out with the letter in his hand. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steve lifted his head, hearing a car race closer and closer. A small white truck zoomed by. _Not Danny. . ._ He thought disappointedly. Steve was only slightly worried. It was later evening. 

 _Today was an off day. . .Where is he?_ Steve sighed. A thought came into his head. _What if he’s like. . .out. . .with someone. . ._

A sadness came over him as he thought about Danny with someone. However with this feeling of depression, he knew he’d be happy for Danny. _He deserves someone. . .someone to have fun with. . .he’s been alone for so long._

Steve thought about Danny’s past relationships. . .the few that he knew of. _I mean. . .he kinda has a type, right? Darker hair. . .and strangely, women who are taller than him._ Steve smiled inwardly. _Wait. . .was Gabby taller than him? In heels, probably. . .what an interesting attraction._ Steve thought. 

 _. . .I wonder if he’d ever be interested in men with those features. . .I mean, I’m definitely taller than him. . .I have darker hair. . .maybe. . .one day? Oh, what am I even thinking?_ Steve shook himself. _The heat and the lack of water have seriously gotten to me. . .so much so, that Danny’s looking attractive to me?_ Steve sighed as he looked up the street. _Funny how thoughts don’t change. . .even when you’re delirious._

Steve listened to the soft crash of waves in the distance and the sounds of the city. Sirens wailed, motorcycles roared, and cars honked and changed gears to faster pace. The sound of a light buzzing down the street also drifted along in the night. 

I can’t believe I’m thinking of that right now. Even in a situation like this, I guess it would be on anyone’s mind. It’s been a while. . .

It had been a while, a long while, since Steve thought about Danny in this way. He would never admit it, but. . .

Steve thought Danny was perfect. 

_And one only ever thinks of someone as perfect if they’re jealous or crushing hard. . .and I’m not jealous of Danny. These. . .thoughts aren’t jealous ones. . ._

Steve sighed once more and put his head down, resting it on his front limbs. _Never mind that. Danny will be here and. . .we’ll get things sorted out. Everything will be okay. . .right?_ He paused in his thoughts. _What am I even saying, of course, everything will be okay._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“They got a print!” 

Danny looked up at the call that echoed through his office. 

“They _got a_ print!” 

Danny furrowed his brows as Kono zoomed into his office. “Did you have caffeine recently?” 

“Maybe.” Kono grinned as she swayed back and forth on either foot. 

Danny chuckled and shook his head. “What do you have?” 

“They found a print on the letter. They’re processing it now.” 

Danny narrowed his eyes. “How can I get two of whatever it was you had?”

Kono grinned. “There’s coffee downstairs.” 

Danny shook his head as he looked down at the papers on his desk that were full of his scribbles and writings. “No. I’m going to try to put off drinking coffee until I absolutely need it. It’s going to be a long night, you know?” 

Kono nodded. “Chin wanted to switch duties. . .so he went to get some things so Dr. Smith can sleep in Steve’s office. And he just got his belongings from his hotel.” 

Danny nodded as he rubbed his eye. “Maybe the print will confirm who this guy is.” He pointed at his computer screen. 

Kono crossed around to look at his computer screen. 

“This guy was seen coming and leaving within 10 minutes. The cameras show him walking to the room, sliding the letter underneath the door, and quickly running back downstairs, calmly walking out to the street.” Danny said as he played the several different views. 

“Is he in the system?”

Danny turned to Kono. “Running him through facial recognition right now. We’ll get a hit before that print, but we can still bring him in and ask him questions. Whoever he is.”

“Yep.” Kono murmured. 

A beeping made Danny turn. “Ah. . .here we are. Ethan Albiek. . .19 years old. . .no record. . .hmmm.”

“That’s weird.” Kono said as she looked over the information on Danny’s computer screen. 

“You think messenger?” Danny asked as he looked up at her. 

Kono nodded. “Yeah. Let’s go pick him up.” She murmured as she headed to the door with Danny closely following her. 


	6. Chapter 6

Danny stared blankly at his computer screen, going over a few pieces of evidence in his mind. _The print is his. . .no other prints. . .no other persons to point fingers at. . .does Ethan even know Dr. Herbert Smith?_ Danny scrolled through past employment records he pulled up about an hour ago. _Never worked for him. . .maybe it’s a personal relationship. . ._

Danny yawned and sighed as he wearily stared at his computer screen. _God, I’m so tired._ He looked up and through his windows into the bull pen. _I hope Kono and Chin get back soon._ He thought desperately. _Maybe they can keep me awake._  

Just as he thought it, he heard voices out in the hall. He stood up and walked out of his office and over to the voices. 

“Hey, Danny!” Kono said. 

“Hey, guys.” Danny breathed in. “How did the interrogation go?” 

“As best as we could expect. The guy was just a messenger. He didn’t know anything about what was in the letter. Or who it was originally from. He was paid cash.” Chin said. 

“Okay. . .how did he make contact?”

“He was approached at a park and given instructions for a large sum of money. He was told he’d get half if he’d agree to it and the other half after the job was done. He said when he got back to his apartment, there was an envelope with the rest of the cash in it at the manager’s office for him.” 

Danny perked at this. “Do we know if the place has camera’s in the manager’s office?” 

“Yes, we do. They do indeed have security footage, out to the road. It’s on it’s way right now.” 

Danny nodded sleepily. 

“How’s the doctor?” Chin asked looking over at Steve’s office to where the doctor set up camp. 

Danny nodded and stifled a yawn. “As good as you could be. . .with your life being in danger.” He answered. “He’s quite the trooper.” 

Kono nodded. “Yeah, no kidding.” 

“Yeah. He’s been sleeping pretty soundly and Clark has just been looking around. Been keeping an eye out.” Danny said. 

“God, how are we gonna find the actual guy threatening him?” Chin asked. 

“Well, we’ve done it before. With lesser evidence than what we have.” Kono answered him. 

“True. I guess now, we can look through those tapes when they get here, and maybe see if Albiek still has that envelope. Possible prints?”

“I don’t know. . .if we couldn’t get any off that letter, I don’t know if they would’ve been so careless as to not get any prints on the envelope.” Kono pointed out. 

Chin shrugged. “Well, if the tapes don’t show anything, maybe the envelope will give us something.”  

Danny was hearing everything, he just couldn’t process it. He forcibly blinked and wobbled slightly where he stood.

“Danny, you okay?” Kono asked him. 

Danny looked up at her. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” Danny said as he brought his hand to his face and stifled a yawn. 

“Bruh, maybe you should go lie down for a couple hours.” Chin suggested as he put a hand on Danny’s shoulder.

Danny shook his head. “I’m fine. I just. . .need a pair of cousins that can devise a plan to keep me up.” He smiled. 

“Danny, how about you settle in here and get some sleep. You’ve been up since, what? 6:45? It’s midnight right now. Go to your couch, sleep for a bit, and we’ll be good to go when you’re up.” Kono insisted as she began to walk over to him. 

“Guys, come on. . .we have a case, we have a person to protect-” Danny protested as Kono placed a hand on his shoulder.

“And we also have some of the best minds working on it. Minds that need rest. Minds that can’t help anyone if they don’t have a break.” Chin said as he moved to Danny. 

Reluctantly, Danny gave in. If he hadn’t been so tired, he would’ve put up a fight. But having gone since early morning till midnight, basically working the entire time. . .

It took a lot out of him. 

“Well. . .maybe I can sleep for a few hours.” 

“There you go. We’ll go in shifts. Two will work while one sleeps. Good?” Kono said as she patted his shoulder and pulled him from his chair.

Danny nodded. 

“Okay. Now on your couch.” Kono said as she guided Danny to the couch.

“Alright, alright. Enough.” Danny murmured with a tired chuckle. 

The cousins chuckled with him and went to his office door, closing it slowly. “Night Danny.” Chin grinned as he flicked the light off. 

Danny grinned. “Night.” He murmured as he laid down on his side on his office couch. 

He heard the office door close and he laid his head against the cushion. Danny closed his eyes. Before he knew it, without another thought, he was asleep. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_“Oh, god.”_

_Danny heard someone sigh into his ear. His body buzzed and everything felt good._

_“You’re going to make me cum.” The whispers sounded in his ear._

_Danny felt it too. It felt so good. Everything felt good. . .wonderful. . .amazing. “You’re going to make me cum, too.”_

_In an instant, he felt everything. His blood, his receptors, his muscles. . ._

_Everything. . .was. . .wonderful._

Danny shifted only slightly on the couch, still asleep as he dreamed of his load being blown. 

_“Oh, god.”_

_Danny sighed out and grinned with closed eyes. He felt small, light touches of velvety lips on his neck. “Shit, that was good. . .” He whispered._

_“Oh, yeah.” The voice said._

_Danny held his breath. “I love you.” He said after a minute._

_With no hesitation or awkward silence, the soft touches withdrew from his neck. Danny opened his eyes and stared up at a familiar face._

_A lovely face._

_Steve’s face._

_“I love you, too.”_

_The dream changed._

_Danny was in a field. He was with something. . .someone._

_A dog._

_A dog with a brunette coat and ears that stuck up. It was a happy dog. The dog walked over to him and sat at his feet, looking up at him.  
But Danny knew this wasn’t your normal dog. It was a special dog. Danny leaned over and patted the dog’s head. The dog jumped up and tackled him to the ground. Danny laughed as he laid on his back in the grass. _

_But fear soon barreled down on him as he was thrown into a dark corner of his mind. He was taken from that happy place once more and thrown into another scene. He sat on the ground and looked around. Far off ahead of him was a dimly lit room. There was a silver table. Like one he’d seen at Max’s office. His heart raced as he noticed a body on it. He stood up and walked over to the table. His chest tightened as he began to recognize the features of the body._

_It was a male body, with no shirt. He was pale._

On his couch, Danny shifted uncomfortably. He squirmed and made a small noise. He hoped this wouldn’t continue. 

_Back in his dream, sorrow gripped Danny as he stopped next to the table and saw the face._

_Steve._

_Danny could feel the tears form in his eyes and fall down his face. His chest tightened. His friend. His partner._

_He’s dead._

_Danny placed a hand on the cold corpse’s arm and drifted it down to its hand. He gave it a small squeeze as he looked down at the hand._

_Danny’s heart dropped out of his chest as he heard the corpse gasp and sit up slightly._

_‘Holy shit!’ Danny exclaimed as he jumped back._

_Steve coughed and breathed in heavily. He turned to Danny. “Danny. . .”_

_Danny swallowed and stepped towards Steve._

_Steve looked ill. His face was gaunt, his eyes looked dead, and there were dark circles under his eyes. “Danny. . .”_

_“Steve?” Danny spoke._

_“Danny, help me.”_

_“Why do you need help?”_

_“They took me. I can’t get out. Help me.”_

_Steve and the table began to slowly move away from Danny. Danny had looked down and back up as he started to walk towards the table and Steve, but he couldn’t reach it. “Steve?” He began running after it. “Steve?!”_

_“Help me, Danny.”_

_“Steve!”_

_Danny couldn’t reach the moving table. He sprinted after it, trying to reach it but he couldn’t._

_“STEVE!”_

 

“STEVE!”

Danny sat up abruptly in his office on his couch. His heart was pounding and he was breathing heavily. He swallowed and blinked several times as he brought a hand to his forehead. It was damp, covered in sweat. 

“Danny?” 

Danny looked over to his office door. Chin and Kono walked in and moved towards him. They both looked anxious and concerned. 

“Man, you okay?” Chin asked with furrowed eyebrows. 

Danny nodded with parted lips. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I’m fine. What time is it?” 

Kono gazed at him with sympathetic eyes. “It’s about 4 in the morning.” 

Danny sighed. “You were supposed to wake me after, like, two hours.” 

Kono and Chin stayed quiet as Danny shifted in his seat. 

“Danny, man. . .you were making quite a bit of noise.” Chin said quietly. 

“You kept calling for. . .” Kono drifted off. “Are you really okay?” 

Danny dropped his gaze to the floor. “I. . .I just had a bad dream.” 

Kono skewed her lips to one side. Chin knelt down next to the couch and Kono followed his action. 

“Danny. . .you know you can talk to us. . .right?” 

Danny’s heart skipped a beat as he looked up at Chin. “Um. . .” He felt his cheeks flushed with heat. He hoped Chin and Kono couldn’t see his cheeks because he knew for a fact, in the right lighting, his face would be a bright red. He didn’t want to tell them about the dream. But he didn’t want them badgering and worrying. “I know. . .” He looked away. 

Kono and Chin glanced at each other, hoping Danny would tell them what was going on in that mind of his. 

Danny sighed. “Steve was dead in my dream. I approached his body but then. . .he ended up not being dead, or something.” Danny paused, running his fingers through his hair again. “He had sat up and told me he needed help.” He drifted off. 

Silence settled between the three of them. 

“We need to go out and find him.” Danny murmured. 

“Danny. . .” Kono started. 

“What Kono? I’ve called him every night since he left and the only time we talked was Thursday morning before he left.” 

“There probably isn’t any cell service in the park.” Chin reasoned. 

“He said he’d keep his phone on him. . .and stay in cell range in case we had something come up. Plus, when I phoned him. . .it didn’t go straight to voicemail. . .if he wasn’t in range, wouldn’t it go to voicemail? Right away?” He paused. “Something’s wrong, guys.” 

“Look, Danny. Things happen. . .things like unexpected loss of cell phone data. . .getting out of cell phone range. . . I’m sure Steve’s fine. He said he’d be back Sunday night, right?” Kono reasoned.

“Right.” Danny murmured. 

“So, let’s wait. . .okay? I’m sure he has an explanation for why he couldn’t pick up.”  

Danny wanted to argue. He wanted to give her all the reasons why she was wrong in this case. But. . .he didn’t know if she’d listen. 

“Look, Danny. . .Steve’s. . .he’s a SEAL. And he’s. . .well he’s Steve. He can handle himself.” 

Danny looked up at him. “We thought the same when he was in Japan. . .and in Afghanistan.” He paused. “And I think we all remember what happened then.” 

“Danny, we don’t know if he’s in any trouble.” Chin pointed out. “Sometimes, we amp things up. Make mountains out of molehills, you know? Especially when we have bad dreams. We make the worst of what happened in our dreams seem to be true.” 

“Funny how it felt pretty damn real.” Danny grumbled, frowning at the cousins. He was irritated that they weren’t taking him seriously. 

Chin smiled at him softly. “You had a bad dream. Steve will come home Sunday and everything will be fine.” 

Danny wished he believed him. “It’s just. . .” He sighed out. “I just have a bad feeling about this.” 

“You’re tired. You’re stressed. You’re working a case where we’re not especially close to finding the threat of a person who’s important to the governor.” Chin reasoned with him. “Of course you’d be having some kind of knots in your stomach.” 

“Yeah. Not to mention you’re probably missin’ those back and forth bickerings you have with boss.” Kono said with a smile. 

Danny weakly smiled. 

“He’ll be back.” Kono murmured, patting Danny’s shoulder. 

Danny gritted his teeth. Despite what he was feeling, he hoped she was right. 


	7. Chapter 7

Steve sat in the bushes. He had been trying to think of what to do since he arrived at Danny’s house the previous night. He hadn’t seen Danny at all. He had not come home and that worried Steve. 

_God, I’m so thirsty._ He thought as he tried to moisten his mouth by swallowing. It didn’t work very well. _I’m fucking starving as well. Where is Danny? He should be here, right? He was out all night and now it’s morning. Where could he be?_

Steve hunkered down to lay down on his stomach. _I can only wait._ He thought miserably as set his head in his crossed front legs. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Ah, damn.” Danny muttered as he closed his office closet door. He turned as he heard a knock at his door. 

“Hey. Ready?” Kono asked him. She looked gorgeous with her dress top and dark dress pants. She knew how important this media appearance was for five-0. Even if it was for Dr. Herbert Smith, since they knew that T.V news stations were going to be there, it was important everyone looked presentable, smart, and professional. 

And that was hard to do especially when you had no change of clothes. 

“No.” Danny huffed out. “I didn’t replace my shirt from that harbor bust last week.” 

“Okay. Go home, take a shower, dress proper like.” Kono smiled at him. “We’ll meet you there.” 

Danny was unsure. “I don’t know. I don’t want anything to happen while I’m away.” 

Kono laughed. “Nothing will. We have squad there and extra men here for support during transportation. We’ll be fine if you drop by your house, which is on the way, to take a quick shower and change your clothes.” 

Danny considered this. “Well, it _is_ on the way.” 

“Right, right.” 

“And it doesn’t start for another two hours.” 

“Right! So go!” Kono laughed at him. 

“Okay, I’ll go now.” Danny nodded as he grabbed his phone from his desk and moved out of his office. 

“Oh, Danny-”

Danny turned to look at her. 

She rubbed her cheek with the back of her fingers. “You may want to shave.” 

Danny grinned as he brought a hand to his chin and felt his scruff. “Thanks.” 

Kono grinned as he walked past her. “We’ll see you there!” 

Danny turned and grinned. “Yep, later.” 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steve perked his head as he heard a car pull into the driveway. He stood up and looked. It was Danny’s car. _Danny?_ Steve’s chest swelled with hope as he watched the car door open and Danny step out. The poor man looked exhausted as he shut the car door and moved to his front door. 

Danny walked to his front door. He gritted his teeth as he placed the key in the lock. _Stupid, Steve. Where the hell is he? Why hasn’t he called back or. . .or. . .or ANYTHING? It’s been past 24 hours, coming up on 48 this evening. . ._

Danny furrowed his brows. He pulled the key out of the lock and opened the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something brown in the bushes. He looked over and gazed along the line of bushes. Two eyes staring at him. 

Steve’s heart pounded and his chest tightened as his gaze connected with Danny’s. 

Danny stopped and gazed at the bush. _Hmmm. . .must be a neighbor dog._ He stepped down his steps and walked to the grass line. He squatted down, close to the bushes. He clicked his tongue. “Hey.” He murmured. “Hey, come here.” He clicked his tongue. 

Steve watched as Danny offered himself to Steve. Elated, he went to get up and move to Danny. 

But he stopped. 

In an instant, Steve felt all confidence and relief fly away from him. Thoughts flew through his mind. What if Danny couldn’t help him? What was he to do? _Danny doesn’t know I’ve been turned into a dog. I won’t be able to tell him, I can’t talk. What do I do?_

The dog didn’t approach Danny. _Hmm._ Danny pressed his lips together and stood up. “Okay. Well, I hope you run home.” Danny murmured as he walked to his front door. 

Steve watched him and stayed in the bushes. _Fuck, what the hell am I to do?_ Steve watched as Danny opened the door and went inside. Steve sighed. He had to figure out something else. 

Danny moved inside his house to the bathroom. He thought as he took off his shirt and began to unbutton his pants. Danny showered, dressed, did his hair by blow drying it, and slicking it back with gel and hairspray. _I should probably grab that dog some water. It’s a million degrees outside_. Danny thought as he went to his kitchen and grabbed a large plastic bowl. He walked to the fridge, pressing the button for instant ice before moving to the sink and filling it up all the way. Then, Danny moved to leave his house once more. 

Steve looked over at the noise of the front door opening back out. Danny walked out, holding a large plastic bowl. He locked the front door. Steve watched as Danny walked over to the bushes where he sat.

Danny placed the bowl where he knew it would stay in the shade for most of the day. He looked up into the bushes again. “Hey.” He clicked his tongue. “Puppy, puppy. Here’s some water.” He said as he splashed his hand in the water. “Stay cool.” 

Steve watched him as Danny stood up and walked to his car. He sat in the Camaro and turned it on. He backed out of the driveway. _God, if only he knew. . ._ Steve thought as he watched from the brush. 

As Danny moved his car just to the curb, he paused before backing out into the street. He looked in front of him and saw the dog in the bushes still. The dog emerged and moved to the bowl. Danny watched as the animal drank and drank. _Poor thing, it’s probably thirsty as hell. It’s been warm the past few days._ Danny squinted his eyes and tilted his head as he gazed at the creature. The dog lifted his head and met his gaze. Danny stared into the hazel eyes that stared back at him. That dog looked familiar. He gazed at it for a few more seconds before shaking his head and he turned to look for cars before backing out completely and driving to meet with Kono, Chin, and Dr. Herbert Smith, as well as many other people. 

Steve sighed as he watched Danny go. _Thank you, Danny._ He thought as he lowered his head to drink some more. _Damn, he knows how refreshing ice water is. . .even for a dog._ Steve drank until the water was gone and ice sat in the bottom of the bowl. Steve turned and moved back into the cool shade of the bushes. He thought about what to do next. 

By the way Danny was decked out with his trousers and button up shirt, it looked like Steve had the whole day to figure it out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Danny stood slightly off to the left side of a stage-like platform. Even though, he was off to the side, he was still near Dr. Smith as the man stood at the podium talking to a whole mass of people outside in sunny weather. He scanned the crowd, looking for hints of anyone that wanted to cause a ruckus, harm, or make a threat. 

He gently touched the earpiece, that was set in his left ear, and Kono started to speak. “No sign of anyone that fits our profile on my end.” Kono’s voice sounded into Danny’s ear.

“Yeah, same here. I hope that threat was an empty one.” Chin said. 

“We know that it’s not, though, Chin. . .they sent that letter intending to do harm today.” Kono murmured. 

“I know. . .but. . .can’t I hope?” Chin said with a small smile on his voice.

Danny held back a smile as he looked forward to scan the crowd again.

“Hey, Chin. I don’t think Danny see’s anything either.” Kono spoke with a grin. 

“I don’t know. . .he hasn’t said anything.” Chin grinned on his end. 

Danny rose his eyebrows. 

“Ope, we got an eyebrow raise. Maybe we can pull a cheeky grin out.” Kono said, a smile on her voice. 

Danny looked down, smiling as he listened to the voices. 

“Oh! There it is!” Chin said. 

Danny quietly chuckled under his breath and looked forward once more, scanning the audience. 

“Danny’s right. We got to get back to looking Kono.” Chin said. 

“Alright.” 

Danny continued to look around. _All the evidence points to them being here. . .where are they?_ Danny wondered as he looked across the street to a few buildings. He gazed at the tall sky scrapers that sat next to each other. _Wait. . ._ He thought back to the details of the case. _This person is looking for vengeance. . .they don’t want to hurt anyone else but the person they’re after. . ._ Danny looked to his left at a neighboring building. _They would not put anyone else in immediate danger of getting hurt. . ._ Danny slowly looked to the right building. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark shape that he could only relate it to a man holding a gun. 

Danny’s stomach dropped as his mind made connections to what was happening. He charged Herbert. “Down!” He shouted. His body met Herbert’s and they went crashing down to the ground, his own body shielding Herbert’s. He heard several gasps and shouts from the crowd. 

“Danny! You okay?” Kono’s voice sounded over in his ear. 

“Perp was spotted on the 6th floor, 3rd window in at the building to our right.” Danny spoke into his mic. 

“I’m on it!” Chin said. 

“I’ll follow.” Kono spoke firmly.

Danny looked down at Herbert. “You okay?” 

Herbert nodded and looked to his body guard that had rushed over and knelt beside them. 

“Haku, get him into the SUV.” Danny said to the body guard. “Kama! Duncan!” He shouted at two officers nearby. “Escort him now!” He shouted as he pulled his gun from his holster. He aimed it up at the building and saw nothing. He drew his gun down and looked around. 

Chaos had unfolded. Reporters, journalists, and everyone else, that had come to hear Herbert’s comments, were running about to get out of the area. Danny scanned the area and made eye contact with a man. No terror in his eyes. It almost looked like he had the smallest smirk on his face, but Danny couldn’t be sure as someone ran into him, he turned, and began to calmly move out of the area. 

“Hey!” Danny shouted at him. 

The man didn’t turn and continued to walk away. 

Danny had to go with his gut. _This guy might have something to do with this. He looks awfully suspicious._ He ran after the man and caught up with him, grabbing his shoulder. 

“Excuse me?!” The man shouted at him as he shrugged Danny’s arm off. 

“What is your name?” Danny asked as he followed the man. 

“Do you have reasonable evidence to detain me?” 

“It’s just a question, sir.” Danny answered. 

“Do you have reasonable evidence to detain me?” He repeated. 

Danny gritted his teeth stubbornly. “Yes.” 

“You’re lying.” The man said simply turning to leave. 

“Hey!” Danny grabbed the man. 

“Get off me!” 

Danny escorted the man to a pair of nearby car with the man’s arms behind his back, struggling along the way. He gave the man to a set of officers on the suspicion to commit murder. He still heard the man screaming about his rights, how Danny was acting unconstitutional, and how he’d sue Danny for defaming him as Danny walked away from him. “Chin, Kono. . .talk to me.” Danny murmured in his mic. 

He heard nothing. 

Because of that, Danny sprinted to the neighboring building, pulling his gun out of its holster and keeping it low. His eyes stayed on the windows of the building, looking for any signs of struggle. He came to the door and saw a man running toward the door he was at. The man did not see him, as he had turned around to look in back of him. Danny saw Kono, Chin, and several officers heading after him.  

Danny quickly darted to the side and waited as the door opened. He jumped at the man, slamming him into the concrete wall that stood next to the doors. Danny aimed his gun at him. “Hey, hey! Show me your hands!” 

The man did so and Danny kept a laser focus on him as everyone burst through the doors. Chin slowly approached the man, turned him around, and cuffed him. He pulled the man to his feet and kept a tight hold as the several officers piled out behind him and Kono and took the man to another car, where the officers followed him. 

“Did he have the gun?” Danny asked. 

Kono nodded. “Yeah, he slipped out without it and was able to dodge us. Good thing you came this way.”

“Well, when neither of you responded, I kinda panicked.” Danny chuckled lightly. 

Kono nodded with a grin. “We’re okay. . .just. . .trying to catch a criminal.” 

Danny chuckled as he put an arm around her shoulder. “Well, what would you say to a round of beers on me after we close this case?” 

Kono laughed. “I’m going to hold you to it, bruh.” 

Chin had walked up on them. “Hey, can I get in on that?” 

“After that chase? Of course!” Danny grinned. 

“Let’s go close this thing.” Chin said. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Danny finished the last of his work at the office. They had processed both men that had been at the scene. Dean Shives, the man that had been the shooter, was hired by Gus Hunt. . .originally Gus Tieman. . .a very vague relative of Herbert Smith. Danny wasn’t even entirely sure of the relation. Herbert’s aunt, who was married to his mother’s brother, had a sister, whose husband’s cousin had a child with a man. That child was Gus. . .but then the cousin and her husband divorced when Gus was young and the woman remarried a man, Hunt, that was away for work a lot. 

Danny had shook his head at the relation. _Um. . .what?_ He thought as he stared blankly at the sheet Kono had written on. While they had met at reunions, after a while, Herbert distanced himself from that side of the family, his aunt included, due to thinking that it would be best to not engage with people that got so upset with him for bringing up his thoughts on certain subjects. The environment included. 

Gus had a range of problems. Unstable psyche, PTSD from being in the army, Bi polar. . .he didn’t like Herbert. . .mostly because Herbert reminded him of his father. . .his bio-logical father. Especially when he talked about the environment. He had hired Dean Shives, a mate he knew back in training, who was also a skilled sharp shooter, to kill Herbert, in order to rid him from society, as well as his ideas and views on subjects that differed from his own. 

Danny had finished his section of the report and had sat back in his chair. He let out a sigh as the quiet office sat in the silence of the night. He looked over at Steve’s dark empty office. He gritted his teeth and leaned forward, heaving himself up from his chair. He walked out to the tech table and began to tap around on the screen. 

_I’m just looking for his location. . .nothing bad about that._ He reasoned with himself. 

Eventually, he pulled up Steve’s number on the screen to the tech table and tracked it. While there was no definite signal bouncing between towers at the moment, his last definite signal was when he was in the Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park. Danny nibbled the tip of his thumb as he looked at the data. _So. . .the phone is off now? Why would he turn it off? He wouldn’t let it go dead. He said he’d take rechargeable items with him._

This bothered Danny. It bothered the hell out of him. It was like a gnawing feeling, nagging at him, throwing his whole being off. 

_What if. . .what if he’s hurt? Lost? In some kind of trouble? I know he wanted to spend time alone. . .but he said he’d be accessible this weekend. He’s not one to lie about something like that._

Danny felt his vision begin to blur slightly. 

_For the matter, why won’t Chin and Kono believe me? I’ve been right about things before. . .why won’t they believe me?_

He blinked it away and pushed the feelings of sorrow and helplessness away. 

_He’ll be fine. He’s a Navy SEAL. . .he’s been in tight binds before. He’d be able to get out of trouble. . .if his phone died or something. . ._

Danny sighed out. 

_Am I just being sensitive. . .because. . .of the feelings I have for him? Am I just. . .being overprotective? I mean, the man’s my mate. . .my buddy, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him, but. . .I also don’t want anything bad to happen to him because. . .well. . .I am. . .crushing on him so badly._  

Danny shook his head and walked back into his office. He picked up the papers that were on his desk and set them inside one of his drawers. He pushed it close, hearing it click, knowing that it was locked. 

He closed his office and walked out to his car. He got into it. He sat for a while in silence in his car, staring off at HQ. The lights shone on the building, making it appear bronzy and slightly dreamy in an alternative realm of royalty. 

_One more call._ He thought as he reached for his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and dialed Steve’s number. 

“Steve McGarrett here. . .”

Danny waited through the voicemail. He had to admit that it was nice hearing Steve’s voice, even if it was a recording. 

“Steve, hey. Um. . .” He paused. “We finished the case. Governor Denning was pretty happy about it. . .as was Dr. Herbert Smith.” He chuckled lightly. “I think I would be too if my life was no longer in immense danger.” He stopped and licked his lower lip. “Look, Steve, where the hell are you? Why aren’t you answering your phone? I’ve been trying to reach you all weekend.” He paused and sighed. “I’m. . .we’re just worried, okay? Saying that you’ll be available by phone and then not picking up is enough to make anyone worry.” He paused again. “I’m going to start looking for you in the park if you don’t call back by tomorrow night. If you get this message, make yourself visible.” He paused and sighed again. “Alright. Stay safe, man. Later.” 

He hung up, started his car, and headed for his home. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steve had startled himself awake after a lazy afternoon in some uncomfortable heat. He felt exhausted, despite having slept for a bit. He felt dizzy. Even after drinking the water, and eventual melted ice, that Danny left him, he still felt thirsty hours later. _God, I’m so thirsty_. He must’ve been going close to 40 hours without a sufficient amount of water. He was so thirsty. _Thank god for Danny, leaving that water out._   

There was an annoying gnawing feeling at his sides. _Shit. . .I haven’t eaten either._ He huffed out and stood up to stretch his muscles.

He then heard the sound of a car down the previously quiet street. He looked to see who it was and was greeted with Danny’s car pulling into the driveway. 

Steve had thought about it through the day. He was going to attempt to approach Danny. Danny would help him. . .even if it wasn’t the help he was looking for, exactly. Danny could give him food, water, shelter. . .and then, Steve could think about what needed to be done with him changing back. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was dark as Danny approached his front door after parking his car in the driveway. With thoughts of Steve still plaguing his mind, Danny sadly stuck his key in his lock to his front door and unlocked. He heard a rustle behind him in the bushes. He dropped his keys and withdrew his gun quickly and aimed it at the noise. 

Just then, that same beautiful, German Shepherd looking dog from earlier that day leapt out of tall, thick bushes and sat down at the yard line. The dog looked at him, ears perked, eyes bright, and tongue out as it panted. 

Danny chuckled and let out a sigh as he holstered his gun. “You really should be careful about whose bushes you chose to hang out in.” 

Steve looked at Danny. “Danny.” 

Danny watched as the dog let out a bark. 

“Hey, hey. Shh shh. You’re gonna wake my neighbors.” 

The dog whined and continued to look at Danny. 

“Go on, now.” Danny said turning to pick up his keys and go inside. The dog stayed where it was. “Go on.” Danny gestured away from his home. The dog just stared at him, tilting its head. “Go home.” Danny said in an authoritative voice. 

Danny watched as the dog whined and laid itself down on the grass, looking at Danny. 

Danny would never get the hint. Steve wanted to tell Danny everything that happened, so badly. He wanted his partner’s comfort. He needed it. _How am I going to do this?_    

Danny sighed. He was being sucked into the dog’s beautiful hazel looking eyes. They reminded him of Steve’s. 

Heartache overwhelmed him. Danny sat on his steps and put his hands to his face. _Where is he? Where is Steve?_ It wasn’t like him to just take off, not answer his cell, not check in. Danny could feel that stupid lump form. _Why?_ Why did he feel the need to cry every time he thought of Steve now? Sure, they were great friends, but crying? _Really?_  

_Is Danny crying?_ Steve watched the man fall apart on his porch. Steve felt sad for him. He got up from his spot and walked over to Danny.

Danny looked up beside him as he felt a presence. The dog had found its way to Danny and sat next to him. Tears spilled over his rims as he lifted a hand to let the dog sniff. 

_Why is he offering his hand to me? Oh, right._ _I’m a dog._  

The dog nuzzled his hand and Danny smiled weakly as more tears trickled down as he scratched the dog’s ear.

“Why isn’t he here?” Danny asked quietly. 

“I am here, Danny.” Steve let out softly. 

The dog continued to pant and let out several vocalized bay-like vocalizations. Danny chuckled through tears. It reminded him of his cousin’s Alaskan Malamute that used the same vocalizing noise. 

Danny took in a deep sigh and continued to pet the dog. The dog didn’t have tags, but was still surprisingly clean. _He must belong to someone._ Danny looked over the dog. He didn’t seem to have cuts or bruises. 

“Good, dog. What a good boy.” Danny murmured as he placed a hand on the dog’s muzzle and lifted the gums. _Pink gums, great looking teeth. . .very clean. . .oddly clean._ Danny dropped the dog’s muzzle and looked in his coat for fleas. When he found none, he turned to look at the dog. 

Steve looked at Danny. He smelled a meaty scent waft in the air and he could feel his mouth begin to water. _Oh, fuck. . .that smells so good._  

Danny smiled as he watched drool find its way out of the dog’s mouth. “Yeah, I smell it, too. You hungry?” 

_Yes, yes, Danny. I’m starving. Please, I haven’t had any food for days._ Steve could feel his heart beat faster and his excitement grew at the words. His backend began to wiggle. _The hell?_ He turned and looked at his tail wagging. _Oh, the hell._ He forgot he had a tail. 

Danny chuckled at the dog’s response. “We’ll go to the vet and see if anyone is looking for you.” 

_The vet?_ Steve hoped they wouldn’t do anything too drastic to him, like inject him with drugs or vaccines. 

“Just a check up and a drop by to see if anyone is missing you.” Danny pulled out his phone as he stood up. “Maybe some blood work done, but that’s all.” He dialed the number of a local vet as he opened the door and stepped in. 

“Hello, yes. I’d like to make an appointment. . .yes, Danny Williams. . .a check for a microchip and an exam. . .mmm-hmm, as soon as possible. . .Tomorrow at 9 sounds terrific, thank you so much. . .yep, see you tomorrow morning at 9. Bye.” 

Danny hung up and turned to Steve. “Come on, you.” 

Steve walked into the home and followed Danny into the kitchen. He sat and watched as Danny set his keys on the counter and moved to the refrigerator. He wondered what Danny would offer him for food. 

“You’re lucky my daughter and I had chicken salad the other day for lunch. I boiled extra.” 

_Chicken!? Oh, score!_ Steve’s excitement returned and his tail began wagging. 

Danny closed the fridge, holding a Ziploc bag with extra boiled chicken breasts in it. Danny opened a cabinet and grabbed a plastic bowl from it. 

Steve cringed inwardly as he watched Danny fill the bowl up with water. Sure he did it a few hours ago, but now he had to do it in front of Danny? _Oh, hell, if dogs can do it, so can I._ Steve watched Danny approach him with the bowl and bag. _It’s not degrading, it’s survival. It doesn’t even matter, because I’m so thirsty right now._ Danny sat on the ground in front of him and placed the bowl of water in front of him. _And at least he’s not making me drink out of the toilet._ Steve took laps out of the bowl as he heard Danny open the bag. Steve kept drinking until the bowl was empty. 

Danny smiled. “Thirsty puppy, huh?” 

_Danny, please don’t call me a dog._ Steve sat when he was finished with the water and looked to Danny. Danny reached in the bag and pulled one of the chicken breasts apart. He offered a piece to Steve. Steve took it gently from Danny’s hand without hesitation. 

“Good boy.” Danny reassured him. He dug into the bag and offered another piece to Steve. Again, Steve took it gently. 

“You better not get too comfortable with this. I’m sure your owners are looking for you.” Danny spoke in a soothing voice. 

The voice calmed Steve greatly. If Steve never turned back human, he knew he would definitely want to be Danny’s dog. Danny loved dogs and was so good with them. 

Danny continued to hand feed him two whole breasts. Steve felt satisfied and got up to walk over to the water bowl. He grasped the bowl with his mouth, picked it up, and walked back to Danny. Steve placed the bowl in Danny’s lap and sat in front of him. 

Danny was impressed. He had never seen a dog do this. He was sure it had happened, he had just never see it in person.

“Okay, okay. I’ll get you some more.” Danny heaved himself up and walked into the kitchen to fetch him more water. 

Steve sat patiently and watched Danny. Steve knew the man was tired and stiff. Danny was limping and grabbing his hip as he walked. Steve felt sympathy for him and wished he could help Danny as the man limped back to him and set the water bowl back down. Steve took a few more laps as Danny watched him. 

Danny couldn’t figure it out. This wasn’t your ordinary dog. Something was different about him. He looked like a German Shepard but without the sloping back. But it wasn’t his breed or his stance that made Danny think he was different. Right now, all Danny could think about was the dog’s completely dark brown color as well as his hazel eyes that had Danny tilting his head. 

“Your coat reminds me of my friend’s hair color.” Danny paused. “So do your eyes.” He said softly. Then, he chuckled. “I’ve resulted to talking to an animal that doesn’t even understand me.” Danny shook his head. “Hell, I’m seeing traits in a dog that are relatable to a person I know. . .how silly of me.” 

Steve finished and looked up at Danny who stared back at him. Steve couldn’t think of what other thoughts were wandering around in his head. His stance suggested sorrow, worry, and exhaustion. Danny was still worried about him. 

Danny needed to rest. 

Steve got up and walked from Danny down the hall where he knew the man’s room was. 

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Danny called after him as he continued his stroll down the hall. Steve used his nose to push the door open. He leapt up on the nicely made bed and heard Danny at the door. Steve grabbed the top of the sheets and pulled them a little toward the end of the bed. 

“Hey, what are you doing?” Danny asked, smiling at the dog’s strange behavior. 

Steve dropped the sheets and jumped off the bed. He walked behind Danny and began to nudge him toward the bed. _Time for bed, you._

“What are you doing, buddy?” Danny chuckled. Steve continued his pushing and nudging until Danny was by the bed. Steve stopped and sat behind Danny, looking up as he turned. 

“You want me to go to bed?” 

Steve tilted his head slightly as he gazed at Danny. He gave a single down movement of his head and looked up at Danny. 

Danny furrowed his brows, turning his head in surprise. _Did he just nod at me?_ “Did you-did you just-” _No, he didn’t nod at me. . ._ “Ah, never mind. I’m so tired I can’t even think straight.” Danny sat on the bed and unbuttoned his shirt. 

Steve felt a slight awkwardness rise within him as Danny striped down in front of him. Danny took his shirt off and threw it in a hamper by his closet. Danny unbuckled his belt and began to slide his trousers off and Steve looked away. Why did he feel embarrassed? 

Danny tossed his trousers to the same hamper. “I’ll be back.” Danny left the dog sitting in his room as he shut the house down for the night. He locked the front door, turned off the lights, and headed back to his room. 

Steve perked his ears as Danny walked back into the room and yawned. He moved to the bed and eased his legs onto the bed before sliding under the covers. He relaxed slightly as he watched Danny settle. Steve breathed in a few breaths and perked his ears as Danny looked at him. 

Danny sighed as he looked at the dog. He looked so lonely sitting there, and what the hell? He could wash his sheets. 

“Come here.” Danny said patting the bed. 

Steve hesitated, tilting his head to a side. _Bed? With Danny?_  

“Come here, it’s okay.” 

Steve got up and hopped on the bed and went on the other side of Danny. He lay down next to Danny and Danny smiled at him. 

“Night, bud.” Danny said placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a pat. 

Steve nuzzled his hand and placed his paw on Danny’s bare stomach. 

Danny smiled and closed his eyes and before Steve knew it, the man was asleep. 

Steve stayed awake for a while. How was he going to get out of this? He couldn’t stay as a dog for the rest of his life. But how the hell was he going to turn back? _The people who took me created a reversal. That man even said so. . .hmmm. . .Young? Is that it? Is it that simple? It has to be in the warehouse still._ Steve let out a sigh as he continued to think. He had to get back to that warehouse. How was he going to find it? 

_Wait a minute. . .I am a dog. I could smell my way to the location. But how can I get Danny in on this? I can’t just up and leave him again, not with him not knowing where I am. Even though I’m right next to him, but he doesn’t know that, so if he’s already worried about me being gone as a human and then I go missing, as a dog, he’ll be worried about me as a dog and me as a human. . .and I can’t do that to him. . ._

Steve would stay with Danny. Hopefully, he could get him to do some hiking sometime. There really was no use in worrying about it right now. The best thing he could do was get some rest so he would be able to fight this in the morning. 

With that, he nuzzled Danny’s shoulder and fell asleep. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Steve. . .Steve. . ._

Steve jolted awake. He looked around at what woke him. It had been Danny. 

“Steve. . .” He mumbled again, shifting his head. 

Steve tilted his head at Danny’s mumbles. Steve noticed Danny breathing hard. A light sweat broke out on his skin, beading around his forehead, upper lip, and chest. 

Steve sat up and watched as Danny shifted in his bed. _Should I wake him up?_  

“Steve. . .Steve. . .” 

“Danny. . .Danny.” _Only whines and whimpers. . .figures._ Steve frustratedly leaned closer to Danny and nudged his arm. _Come on, Danny, wake up._ He nudged Danny’s arm again. 

“Steve. . .STEVE!” 

“DANNY!” All that came out was a loud bark. 

Danny sat up abruptly, still breathing heavily. He stared at the wall across from his bed and then rose a hand to his face to wipe it. _Oh, my god. . ._ He swallowed with much difficulty. _It was that dream again. . ._ He panted out a few breaths, remembering the sequence of events in his dreams just recently and relating them to the ones he had just the night previously.  He bent his knees and scooted back to place his backside against the head of the bed. He took in a few gasps before shuddering out a breath. He dipped his head to his knees and hid his face. 

Steve watched as Danny started to tremble and he heard a few soft breaths that Danny sucked in. The man was crying again. 

Steve moved next to him and put a paw on his arm. It broke Steve’s heart as Danny lifted his face to reveal a tearstained face with tortured eyes. 

Danny chuckled even though fear and anxiety gripped him. His dream. . .Steve. . .

“I’m sorry, buddy.” He placed a hand to the dog’s ear. Danny shuddered in a breath as more tears overwhelmed him. He rubbed the dog’s ear gently. “I guess I am taking this harder than I thought I would.” 

Steve didn’t know how to help Danny. He watched Danny sniff in with difficulty and he took an open hand and wiped his eye with his palm. All Steve could do was nuzzle the man’s hand and push his way into Danny’s arms. Danny laughed and petted the dog. 

“He’s been gone 4 days now. . .no texts. . .no calls. . .no returning calls.” 

_Danny, I’m so sorry._ Steve felt a pang of ache in his heart as he looked into Danny’s eyes. 

Danny sniffed as he looked into the dog’s eyes. “Where is he?” He paused. “Is it weird that I miss him this much? Is it. . .unnatural? Creepy? Obsessive?” 

_No, Danny. It’s completely natural. . .and caring. . .and. . .honestly, flattering._  

It felt like the dog was honestly listening to him. Danny crumbled into the dog’s chest, his arms wrapping around the dog, gently grasping the dog’s soft coat. “I miss him.” He paused. “I’m worried about him.” 

Steve could only sit there as Danny hugged him. He placed his head on Danny’s shoulder, pulling him closer to his chest, trying his best to reciprocate the hug. _Danno, it’s okay. . .everything’s going to be okay. . ._

Danny broke from him and rubbed his nose. He laid back down on his back looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. 

Steve laid back down next to Danny. He felt Danny move and put his arms around him, scooting closer, hugging him like a child would hug a stuffed animal. Steve didn’t mind. He hoped he could give Danny reassurance this way. 

As Danny’s arms were wrapped around him, and his chest against his furry back, Steve could feel Danny’s heart rate slow and his chest slowed in rising rate as well. 

The man was asleep. . .and Steve needed sleep, too. Steve closed his eyes, allowing himself to escape to dreamland.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> June 13, 2016~  
> Okay, if you read this chapter, and are confused as fuck, it's okay. I accidentally switched the chapters 6 and 7 upon first posting. I just switched them back, so the story line (should) make sense now. Sorry about that! :D Thanks for reading and being patient! Okay, enjoy!

Steve’s eyes flashed open. _Crap!_ The need to relieve himself overrode any other feeling he would have had that morning. He stood up from lying on the bed. He looked over at the clock. It was 8:00. 

If Danny didn’t get up now, they were going to be late for the appointment. 

Steve walked up to the sleeping Danny, who was laying on his side. Steve nudged Danny’s arm. No response. _Come on, Danny._ Steve nudged him again.

Still no response. 

 _Ugh. Danny, I have to go!_ Steve internally groaned. He walked further over Danny, towering over him. He nudged the man’s neck. 

 _Nothing! God, this man could sleep through an earthquake!_  

Steve licked his lips. _Might as well try. . ._ Steve leaned down to Danny’s face.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_Steve smiled at him with blown eyes, still breathing hard after that orgasm. Danny smiled back, out of breath like Steve. Steve slowly leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. Danny closed his eyes as their lips met._

_Steve broke, his long beautiful lashes opening to reveal his overwhelming gaze. Steve smiled as he dipped a little lower and placed a kiss to Danny’s neck. Danny felt his soft velvet tongue escape his mouth a lick his neck slowly._

_“Steve, why are you licking me?”_

_Steve chuckled as he rose from his neck. “Because you taste so good.” He said softly before giving him another lick along his jawline and then along the bridge of his nose. Danny smiled as he closed his eyes and felt another lick along his eyelid. Danny let out a chuckle before he opened his eyes. . ._

Danny opened his eyes and found not Steve, but a big fluffy dog towering over him, panting in his face. _Ah damn, just a dream. I knew it was to good to be true._

Danny chuckled at the realization and at the dream. _What was I thinking?_ The dog leaned down and licked his face again. 

“Alright, alright, I’m up, I’m up. Come on, lets go.” Danny laughed as the dog jumped off him and off the bed, racing out of the room. 

Danny smiled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He grabbed a pair of shorts from his dresser and pulled them on. He walked out of his room to his kitchen and opened the back door to look for a rope like item to lead the dog around with, but the dog raced out the door. 

“Hey! Get back here!” Danny called after it. 

Steve raced behind some bushes. He had to piss like no other and he wasn’t about to do it in front of Danny. 

“Hey! Come here!” Danny whistled for him.

 _Really Danny? Whistling?_ Steve did his business and ran out of the bushes into Danny’s view. 

“Come here.” 

Steve ran to Danny and sat at his feet. 

Danny looked at the dog. He wondered how trained this dog was. _Where did he come from?_

“Down.”

 _Oh, great._ Steve did as commanded though and placed himself on the ground quickly. It might make Danny brighten up a bit and Danny deserved that from him at least. 

“Up.” 

Steve stood up, looking at Danny for his next command. 

Danny tilted his head as he thought. “Speak.”

 _Speak? Almost as bad as the whistling._ Steve quietly barked once at Danny, keeping his eyes on him. 

“Stay.” Danny turned and walked away from him to the back door. He turned and stood for a second as he watched Steve sit there, looking back at him. 

“Come.” 

Steve rose from his spot and hurried to sit back in front of Danny. Danny smiled at him and rubbed his ears. “Good boy.” He spoke calmly. “One more before breakfast, ay?” 

Danny walked back into the house and to the front door with Steve following close behind. He opened it, stepped out and let Steve out as well. 

“Bring.”

Steve looked to what Danny was pointing at. _I stand corrected. ‘Bring’ is worse than ‘speak’ and the whistles._ Steve inwardly groaned and let out a big sigh but he did what he was told and took off to the item.

Danny caught this reaction and grinned. _A sigh? Is this dog being a sass? Having an attitude? No._ Danny shook his head. _I must’ve. . .the lack of caffeine in my system must be playing with my sense_ s. “Alright, come on.” Danny gestured as the dog ran to him and placed the paper at his feet. “Inside, here we go.” Steve jogged inside and went to the kitchen, sat and waited as Danny made his way into the kitchen. He smiled at Steve as Steve watched him stride over to the fridge. “You hungry?” 

 _Yes, Danny. Feed me please, I’m hungry._ Steve’s tail wagged as he tilted his head at the words. 

Danny chuckled again. “Okay.” He turned to walk to the fridge and pulled out chicken. “We still have chicken. . .I might just keep on feeding you boiled chicken. You like it, and. . .honestly, I don’t like the stuff they bag and give to us at the pets stores. I guess I’ve always had the thought that if I wouldn’t eat it, I shouldn’t feed to my pets. . .but just because I eat something doesn’t mean you should eat it. . .” Danny paused as he shredded up the pieces. “Like. . .chocolate.” 

_Never really liked chocolate anyway._

“Or grapes. . .or malasadas.” Danny chuckled.

_Ah, I like grapes though. And malasadas. Oh, well. I’ll have to adjust._

“Or. . .coffee.” 

_Ugh, no coffee? Really?_

“And definitely no alcoholic beverages.” 

 _You’re just trying to kill me, Danny. . .I know it._ Steve thought sarcastically as Danny threw him a piece of shredded chicken before placing the rest on a plate and setting it on the ground near the counter. 

After finishing the piece he caught in the air, Steve sat, looked at the plate, and then stared at Danny as the man ate his own breakfast of cut up fruit and coffee. Danny looked at him after a minute.

“You can eat, you know.” Danny said. Steve just sat and stared at him. “Go on.” 

Steve continued to stare at him with his big hazel eyes. _Please don’t, Danny. . ._

They looked so mesmerizing. _So familiar, and warm and. . .comforting._ Danny shook his head. “Alright.” Danny heaved himself from leaning against the counter. He stooped over, picked up the plate and set it on the counter. He threw pieces to the dog as he finished his fruit and drained his cup. Then he grabbed the last of the chicken. A thought popped into his mind. He grabbed a piece and threw it, knowing well that it would land on the floor. 

As it landed, Steve watched it and looked back at Danny. 

“Go get it.” 

The dog just sat and stared at him, not going after it. “Why won’t you eat things off the floor?” It was an odd attribute for a dog to have. Danny leaned over and held out the rest of the chicken in his hand for Steve to take. 

Steve took and still did not take the piece off the floor. _Sorry, Danny. I. . .I don’t know. . .I don’t want to eat off the floor! Is that so wrong?! I don’t think it is!_ He thought fiercely as he took the last part of chicken off Danny’s hand. _Bowls of water I can deal with, but food plate and food in general? Come on. . ._

Danny picked up the piece and offered it to Steve. Steve turned his head away from it, making Danny sigh. “Okay.” He threw the piece in the trash and washed his hands at the sink. 

“Alright. I’m going to take a shower and then we will be off.” 

Steve followed after him as the man walked down the hallway. Danny walked into his bathroom and Steve sat by the bed, opposite from the bathroom entrance. Steve’s breath caught in his lungs as he watched Danny slip his bottoms off his body. A perfect profile. . .Danny’s long, toned body flexed in the minimal light. He rose his arms above his head and stretched. . .everything visible. 

Steve turned away to look somewhere else. He felt slightly. . .embarrassed. . .giggly, even, as his chest clenched tight. He heard Danny turn the faucet on and he stepped into the shower. Refusing to be a part of more embarrassment, Steve turned to go out of the room. He walked down the hall and around the house, not really looking for anything in particular. 

He walked down another hallway and saw a door. He nudged it open. He was greeted with a very familiar smell. _Grace’s room._ He walked into the pink and purple room. The walls were covered with pictures and posters of everything important in the girl’s life. Boy bands, actors, friends. . .family. Steve sat on the floor and looked at pictures that covered a specific spot next to her bed. Photos of Danny and Grace on holidays, special occasions, and just random days together. Serious poses, goofy poses, all with smiles and a brightness that Steve could not deny,  looked amazing. It made him happy to see Grace so happy with her father. . .and Danny so happy with Grace. 

Steve looked over the wall to other photos. There were a few of her and Kono and Chin. And even some with himself and her. He looked down at his paws and then back up to the photo. _Will I ever be the same again? Am I going to have to stay like this forever?_

Steve pricked his ears as he heard a whistle. 

“Hey!” Another whistle sounded through the house. 

He leapt from his spot and ran through the house, slowing to a trot when he saw Danny. The man always cleaned up nice, with slick pants, button up shirt and hair slicked back into that hair style he insisted on. His gun rested on his right hip and bounced slightly when he walked. Steve always liked that. 

Danny watched as the dog sat at his feet. “Where’ve you been, bud?” Danny asked with a smile. 

 _Just looking at pictures of you and your lovely daughter. I hope we see her soon, Danny._ Steve looked back at him, waiting for his next course of action. 

Danny chuckled at the dog. “Alright, let’s go.” Danny said grabbing his keys and phone. 

Steve followed him through the door and out to the car. Danny opened the driver’s side and let Steve hop in and sit in the front. 

Danny smiled as the dog looked at him. He felt a bit more at ease about his worries of Steve when he was near the dog. It was like the dog knew. . .which didn’t surprise Danny, but this dog was. . .special. Danny chuckled as he turned the keys in the ignition and headed out to the vet clinic. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

They arrived at the clinic and were sitting comfortably in the exam room. Danny looked at the dog. He seemed calm and comfortable, lying on the floor. Had he been to a clinic before? 

The door opened. Steve sat up at the noise and Danny looked up to see a young woman step in. “Hello, Mr. Williams. My name is Stacy. I’m Dr. Scott’s assistant and I’ll be taking a few notes before you see her today.” 

Danny smiled at her. “Nice to meet you, Stacy.” 

“You as well. So. . .your main reason for coming today was for a wellness exam, correct?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“And the notes say you acquired him last night?”

“Yep.” 

“And you were hoping for a microchip check, right?”

“Correct.” 

“Okay, any sneezing, vomiting, coughing, diarrhea, itching?” 

“Not that I’ve noticed.” 

“Changes in drinking, eating, or urination?” 

“Um. . .I don’t know for sure, but he did eat last night. . .and drank a lot last night too, and a bit this morning. . .I think he may have been a bit dehydrated yesterday, just because of the amount he drank, but he hasn’t acted different. . .oh, and he did go to the bathroom this morning.” 

“Okay.” The tech nodded and wrote notes in the record. “Would you know of any behavior changes or mood changes?” 

Danny shrugged. “He seems fine. . .content and. . .very well behaved. He hasn’t tried anything in terms of aggression or defensive behaviors. I fiddled with his mouth yesterday, just to look at his teeth, and he was good about it. He doesn’t seem to have any sensitive spots.” 

The tech wrote more notes. “Okay. Well, I’m going to take his heart rate and respiratory rate now.” 

Danny watched as the tech moved to the dog. She offered a hand. “Hey, there buddy.” 

 _Why, hello there, Stacy. You seem to be a very nice person._ Steve got up and walked closer to the tech before sitting in front of her and looking up at her. 

“Hi, how’s it going?” Stacy asked as she pet his head and his ear. She took her stethoscope and rested her hand over his heart. After about 15 seconds, she moved her hand down. 

Danny grinned as he watched Steve just sit still and wait. He had never seen a dog this well behaved. 

“Good boy.” Stacy rubbed Steve’s head and watched a few seconds as he breathed. Steve just looked at her and then looked around the small room. “Alright. Normal rates so far. His heart sounds good as do his lungs.” She stated. She lifted Steve’s lip and pressed on his gum. “Pink, healthy gums. . .lovely teeth as well. . .wow.” 

“How old would you say he is?” Danny asked. 

“Maybe about 3 or 4. His teeth look really good for that age.” Stacy took out a small pen light. 

 _Hey, take it easy with the light._ Steve didn’t balk but he didn’t appreciate the weird light as it shone brightly in his eyes. 

“Normal pupillary light response. . .as well as pupil dilation. . .very healthy eyes.” Stacy remarked. “Come here, I need you to stand.” 

Steve stood up and waited as Stacy palpated his body. “Right now, I’m just feeling for any lumps, bumps or bruises.” 

Stacy got up and she went up to write her findings in the file. “Body score condition, I’m putting him at a 3 out of 5, or 4 out of 9 on the body score condition. . .which just means he’s at an ideal shape and weight for his age and breed.” 

“Do you have a breed. . .for him in mind?” 

Stacy tilted to look back at the dog. 

“Hmmm. . .he looks a bit like a german shepherd. . .without the sloped back and coloring. . .I would personally go with a Belgian Malinois. . .I can make sure Dr. Scott discusses that with you.” 

“Okay.” Danny smiled as he looked at the dog. 

“One last thing, I’ll need to check his temperature. So, I was hoping you could help me?” 

“Yeah, sure. Just tell me what to do.” Danny said moving off the bench to Steve.

“I’ll just need you to hold his head and distract him.” Stacy said, turning to the counter and grabbing a thermometer. “This is usually when they change their minds about the vet visit.” 

Danny laughed as he held onto Steve’s head and placed an arm under his belly to keep him standing. Danny was pretty sure the dog would’ve just stood there by himself. 

“Stay, boy.” Danny spoke to him. 

Steve sighed at the words. He slightly hoped he would never get use to the those words and Danny’s other commands. _At least he’s not overly alpha with this whole situation. I mean. . .this whole ordeal could be worse-what tha?!_

Steve twitched slightly but stayed still as the thermometer was placed and Stacy turned it on. _The hell?! We got along so nicely, Stacy!_ Steve waited until he heard the beeping and relief washed over him as the odd object was removed. _God. . .I know they need an internal temp, but really?_

“Okay. Normal temp. And I had one more question for you. I don’t see a name here for this guy.” 

“Um. . .yeah, I was hoping to wait a bit longer on that. I’ll have one before I leave the hospital. . .”  

“Alright. I’ll be back with Dr. Scott shortly. Do you have any questions so far?” 

“No, thank you, Stacy.” 

“Mm-hmm, I’ll be back.” She then stepped out, leaving them alone again. 

“A name. . .we need a name for you, pal.” Danny murmured as Steve sat near his legs. Danny stared at the dog that turned and looked at him. A name would come. . .hopefully. 

As time passed, Danny had thought about a name, until the doctor came into the room, did her evaluation on Steve, and passed him with flying colors, claiming this was the healthiest dog she had seen in quite a while. 

“It’s allergy season. And the flea’s have been really bad this year.” She explained, persuading Danny to buy flea control for his newly acquired canine pal.

The veterinarian had even pulled a few other doctors and technicians to palpate his lymph nodes and look at his teeth, which he behaved very well for. 

“Were we going to do vaccines today? I don’t see anything down for previous vaccine history.” 

“Um. . .yeah. . .you see. . .he’s not really my dog. . .yet. . .is there any, like. . .titer testing you can do? I know over-vaccinating isn’t really a thing, but. . .I’d be willing to go that route as well as running whatever health panel you recommend. . .before any vaccinations, you know?”

“I totally understand, Mr. Williams. We can definitely do that. We can take the big guy in the back, draw some blood, and get those tests running. I’m running a full health check, which will include a heart worm test to make sure this guy doesn’t have heart worm.” She paused. “Um. . .I can’t remember the exact pricing of both of these tests, but you’re looking at about 3 to 400 dollars worth of testing-”

“Oh, that’s alright. No restraints on my end.” Danny said with a smile. 

The vet nodded as she wrote down notes in the record. “Excellent. We’ll take this big guy back and you can go ahead up front. We’ll bring him up when we’re done.” 

“Alright. Thanks.” Danny said as he stood up. 

Steve watched Danny stand up. 

Danny gave him a pat on the head. “See you in a bit.” He murmured. 

Steve stayed as Danny walked out of the door to the lobby. He was very nervous. _How is this going to work? What are they going to find with my blood? And the titers? I’m not going to have any antibodies for any of the vaccines they have for dogs. . .except maybe rabies, but that was because I was in the SEALs. . ._

“Alright, boy. Let’s go!” 

Steve looked up at the kind vet. She had reassuring eyes as she moved to the door that led to the back. _Maybe it won’t be so bad. . ._ He thought as he followed her. _Maybe since I’m a dog, I automatically have those antibodies when I turned. . .I don’t know how I would have that, but. . .I can hope. . ._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Danny now stood at the pay counter and finished paying. 

“Alright, Mr. Williams, here is your receipt. And have you decided a name for your lovely dog yet?” The woman asked as she petted Steve, who sat behind the counter, behaving himself and looking at her, nuzzling her hand as she offered it to him again and again. 

Danny looked at her and then to the dog. They had not found a microchip, so technically, the dog was currently under Danny’s ownership. Danny had thought about a name in the exam room and in the lobby. Nothing seemed right. . .Sargent, Hunter, Shadow, Buddy, Max. . .every name he ever thought of to name a dog crossed his mind and nothing seemed to fit. 

Just when he was about to settle on a simple filler name, Danny looked at the dark colored dog with hazel eyes. Those hazel eyes that stared back at him. Hazel eyes that reminded him of another. . .hazel eyes that took him back to the person that had been on his mind for a long while.

Those hazel eyes. . .

And then, it came. 

The perfect name. . .

“Jack.” Danny said simply. As he said it, he watched the dog turn at the sound of the name. They met each other’s gaze and in a powerful, unceasing moment of truth, Danny knew he made the right decision. 

“He seems to like it.” The woman said. 

“Yeah, he even responded to it.” A technician said as she wrote in a file. 

Danny smiled weakly. _Jack. . .the perfect name for the perfect dog._


	9. Chapter 9

Danny had spent the day with the dog, newly named Jack. He went down to the beach after the vet appointment with Jack and thought he’d be spending time watching the dog chase the waves, but instead, the dog had gone out for a quick swim and then sat next to him, watching the people on the beach. Danny eventually had lifted himself from the sand, walked about a half mile down the beach and then back, the dog following him at his side. 

They got home after Danny had bought some dog shampoo and other supplies at a local pet store. Usually, Sundays were Danny’s tidy up day. He’d clean his home, do laundry, and mostly fix up his home to his liking. He walked all over the house, starting in his room. He striped his bed down, pulled all of his clothes from the bathroom floor and hamper, and started a load of laundry. He then went back to his room, dusted, cleaned his bathroom, wiped down his windows, and then vacuumed. He then proceeded to clean the rest of the house in a similar fashion. He did it all. . .while the dog watched. 

Steve calmly watched as Danny tidied up his house. It was interesting to watch the man clean his home so thoroughly. _I lived with him for sometime and he was never this clean._  

While Danny cleaned, he thought it was odd that Jack would take random things on the ground or on the coffee table, and actually place them in proper places. Danny thought it was extremely odd. _A dog that can organize? By sight and not by. . .being taught? This is so strange. . ._

Another thing Danny noticed with Jack was that he had an extreme talent with tracking. Jack had been sitting near the laundry room, watching Danny. Danny had wandered from the laundry room to his room and into his closet. He had distinctly noticed that Jack had not followed him. So, he had walked into his fairly large walk-in closet and shut the door so he could hang some shirts that had their place behind the door. With the door shut, he heard tapping several minutes later. He opened it, after having finished hanging his shirts, and saw Jack looking up at him, wagging his tail. 

“Hey! You found me!” Danny chuckled. An idea had him wondering if the dog new how to track.  He looked over at a pair of his shoes. He took the shoes and placed one on the bed. “Jack, stay here.” He murmured.

Steve did as he was told. _What’s he got planned for me?_ He wondered as he stayed in the room. 

Danny moved out of the room and looked behind himself to make sure Jack wasn’t following him. He zoomed into the kitchen and placed one of the shoes in a cupboard, closing it and then he moved slowly back to the room. He picked up the other shoe. “Okay, boy. Do you know. . .find?” He offered the shoe to the dog that still sat on the ground. 

_Find? Really?_ Steve thought. He stepped forward. _Okay._ He thought as he sniffed the outside of the shoe. He moved away from the shoe and sniffed the air. 

Danny watched as the dog moved from the room down the hall. 

Steve found his way into the kitchen and sniffed around. He stopped and sniffed again. Steve moved to a cupboard on floor level. 

Danny had followed the dog into the kitchen. He watched as Jack sniffed the air and then walked to the cupboard he put the shoe in. He studied the dog carefully. 

Steve sniffed a few more times, and then sat down and gazed up at Danny. 

Danny grinned. “In here?” He asked as he moved to the cupboard. 

Steve stood up and then pawed at the cupboard door. 

Danny grinned and opened it. “You were right!” 

Steve inwardly grinned. 

“Good work.” Danny murmured as he picked up the shoe. “I guess you have skills with tracking. Someone _must_ be looking for you.” 

Danny went back to cleaning and tidying up the house. After cleaning the house and fixing them both dinner, Danny led Steve to the bathroom and helped him into the tub. 

“I haven’t had a chance to wash you yet.” Danny smiled as he rinsed Steve’s coat with the detachable shower faucet head. He made sure to wet the dog’s coat down well. Then he poured a good helping of the shampoo onto the dog’s back and onto his hands. 

As Danny washed the dark brown coat, thoughts drifted to Steve’s hair. How similar it looked to the dark brown coat. “You know. . .I really miss my partner.” Danny said quietly. 

Steve listened to Danny as the man massaged the shampoo into his coat. It smelled like blackberries. _He misses me? That’s a first. . ._ He thought sarcastically.  

“I know this is weird. . .Hell, I’m talking to a dog about missing my partner. Ain’t that weird enough?” He paused. “I mean. . .he hasn’t called, texted, or made any contact with me or our team. I. . .” He paused as he worked down the dog’s back. “I am just so worried.” 

An eerie silence drifted into the bathroom. That is, until Danny spoke again. “I. . .I may have feelings for him.” 

Steve turned to look at him. 

“I know, I know. Feelings for a co-worker, a superior co-worker no less? Trust me, I’ve been thinking for a while about this.” Danny finished with a small smile. 

Steve sat in the bathtub, his heart pounding in his chest at Danny’s confession. _Feelings. . .He-he likes me?_

“I. . .I don’t know when it happened. . .maybe it’s. . .our back and forth, or our sense of humor. Maybe it’s because we have this. . .” Danny chuckled slightly. “Unspoken bond. . .or something. I. . .I really like him. And when we find him. . .I-I really want to tell him.” 

The dog looked at him and stared at him again. 

Danny shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe it’s not a good idea.” He paused for a long moment. “I mean. . .he’s a SEAL. . .Navy SEAL. . .meaning he doesn’t really talk about his feelings.” 

_I talk about my feelings. . ._ Steve thought with confusion.

Danny sighed frustratedly. “What I meant was. . .feelings aren’t a. . .priority I guess. I’ll have to figure out if he’s open to talking about it. What do you think?” He continued to lather the shampoo on the dog’s coat as the dog gazed at him. Danny paused to look at the dog once he rinsed off his hands. He rested his hands against the wall of the tub. 

Steve had no hesitation. He lifted a paw to Danny’s hand. He gave Danny’s hands a small nudge and lick. If he were human, he would have done the same thing. . .well, the lick would’ve been a gentle kiss. . .and if he were human, Danny wouldn’t be giving him a bath. 

Danny smiled. “Okay. If you think I should go for it, maybe I should.” 

“Yes, you should!” 

Danny chuckled as the dog barked at him. “Alright. Let’s get you rinsed.”

After a rinse and a good drying, Steve walked out of the bathroom with Danny behind him. Danny looked at his watch. “Crap, it’s already 9:30. Time for bed.” 

After letting Steve out one last time, they both walked down the hall to the nicely cleaned room. Danny crawled into his crisply cleaned, recently made bed after slipping off his sweats and pulling off his shirt. He plugged in his phone and scrolled through his contacts to Steve’s information. He clicked on it and brought the phone to his ear. He looked over at Jack, who sat patiently on the ground looking at him. “Come on, bud.” Danny murmured, patting the area on the bed beside him and listening to the dialing. 

Steve got up and hopped up easily on the bed, laying his tired body right near Danny.

Danny heard Steve’s voice as he listened to the voicemail recording once more. “Hey, Steve. Guess who?” He chuckled. “Calling to check in, to see if there’s been any change.” He sighed. “Um. . .yeah. Hope you’re safe. Please call.” He paused again. “Please. . .be okay. Later.” He hung up and set his phone on the side table. He settled on his bed next to the dog. Danny took his arm and placed it on top of Steve’s body. He took a big sigh and let it out. “I’m gonna find him, Jack. I’m gonna find him, and. . .hopefully everything will turn out okay.” 

Steve listened to his words. He felt the man’s heart beat in his chest. It seemed rapid and quick at the mention of telling Steve his true feelings. Steve couldn’t help but feel happiness spread through him. He couldn’t wait to tell Danny exactly how he felt. 

_What if he asks me why I like him? Well, let’s think. . ._ Steve took in a breath. _Like he said, our back and forth is amazing and our sense of humor clicks better than a TV addict’s television remote. . .and I loved how he put it like it’s like we have an unspoken bond. I feel that way, too. And. . .it’s more than just. . .an unspoken bond. . .it’s this beautiful, sometimes terrifying, but all-in-all, wonderful thing we have. . .it’s. . ._ Steve let out a sigh. _It’s like nothing I’ve ever had before. With anyone._ Steve nuzzled the bed. _He’s genuine and. . .he makes me feel. . .warm and. . .extraordinary. Which is saying something because I only ever feel. . .ordinary in life._

Steve smiled inwardly. _I guess it’s best for me to sleep now so I can figure out how to get back to being a human. And tell him my own thoughts on. . .us._

With that thought, Steve easily drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Danny’s eyes flashed open. He shifted in his bed on his back. He breathed out and stretched his arm above his head. He settled back down with closed eyes and his head against his pillow. “Damn.” He murmured.

Steve had woken at the sound of Danny moving. He had watched Danny stretch and settle back in his bed. He moved a little closer to Danny and nudged the man. 

Danny grinned and opened his eyes. “Good morning bud. Sleep well?”

Steve moved his head and rested it on Danny’s bare abdomen and continued to stare at him. He didn’t really sleep that well. He kept waking up because Danny would begin to softly murmur about him in his sleep. He was pretty tired. 

Danny gave a soft chuckle. “Yeah. The same.” He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “I had that dream again. . .I keep having it. About Steve. . .in a casket. . .seeming to be dead.” He sighed. “God, I wish it would stop.”

Suddenly, Danny’s phone began to ring loudly. Danny opened his eyes and looked over at his  phone as it vibrated and shouted at him. He picked it up and looked at it. “Ah, fuck.” He said as he saw the time. He slid his thumb on the touch screen and the sound stopped. 

“Hello?” He answered his phone roughly and sleepily.  

“Danny, where the hell are you?” 

“I’m sorry Kono. I. . .I overslept.” 

“Yeah, that’s kinda obvious with it being 9 o’clock.” Kono retorted. 

Danny sighed. “Okay, okay. I’m getting ready.” 

“Hurry up. Um. . .” 

Danny heard the hesitation. “What?” 

“Steve’s still not answering his phone. . .we dropped by his place. . .no one’s home.” 

Danny’s stomach dropped. “Um. . .okay.” He thought at lightning speed as he sat up. 

“We’re looking at hospitals right now for his name and any john doe’s that may have been admitted.” 

Danny bit his lower lip. “Okay.” He murmured as he tossed the covers off his body and moved out of bed. “No need to panic. We’ll go to the State Park’s parking lot, and look to see if he’s still there.” 

There was an awkward silence over the phone. 

“Um. . .” Kono started. 

“What?” Danny asked. 

“Danny. . .we didn’t listen to you-” 

“Kono, there’s no time for this. Let’s just find him, okay?” 

“Okay.” Kono murmured in a downtrodden tone. 

“Okay. I’ll be there in a bit.” Danny said as he moved to his closet. 

Steve sat up as he watched Danny hang up and move quickly to his closet. 

Danny pulled out his typical work get up and dressed himself. “Okay, bud. I think I’m going to have to leave you here.” He said absently as he buttoned his pants and began to thread his belt through the loops. 

Steve tilted his head. _Oh, hell no! I’m going to work, too, Danno!_ He gave a little whine-like grumble. 

Danny looked up at him. “What? I can’t take you to work.” 

Steve huffed out a breath with an added stifled bark. _Well, I’m going. . .no discussion about it._

Danny grabbed his shirt and tucked it in as he moved to the bathroom. 

Steve hopped off the bed and moved out of the room. He went out down the hall and crossed over to the front door, sitting next to it. 

Danny finished smoothing back his hair, brushing his teeth, buttoning up his shirt, and putting his shoes on. He moved to the door with his phone, badge, gun, and keys on him. “Okay, bud. Stay here.” He said as he opened the door. 

Steve took his chance as the door opened and sprinted out to the car. 

“Jack!” Danny shouted after the dog. 

Steve ran to the car and stood next to it.

“Jack, come on. You have to stay.” 

_Hell no. I’m going._ Steve thought as he sat next to the car. 

Danny sighed as he placed hands on his hips. He stared into the dog’s eyes that stared back at him. He finally wiped his face with his hand. “Fine. But you better behave at work.” Danny murmured as he closed the door and locked his house up. 

 Danny let Jack in the car and closed the door, making his way around to the driver’s side. 

Steve sat in the passenger seat. _Man, I wish I was driving._ He thought as he looked around. _Maybe since I’m a dog, I won’t get car sick._ He thought as he watched Danny sit in the driver’s seat and pull the belt across his body. 

“Okay, buddy.” Danny murmured. “Let’s see if we can find out what the hell happened to Steve.” 

Danny drove them towards work. He was weaving in and out of the busy traffic filled streets. He gripped the steering wheel. _Where the hell is Steve?_ Something gnawed at his stomach. Nothing felt right. 

Steve looked over at Danny. He saw the gripping of the steering wheel, the clench of the man’s jaw, the shift in his seat. _He’s definitely worried._  

Danny jumped slightly as he heard his phone ring loudly. He picked it up and pressed the answer button when he didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?” 

“Hello, Mr. Williams?” 

“Yes?” 

“This is Dr. Scott from TLC Vet Hospital.”

“Oh, hello. Good morning.” Danny said with a small smile. 

“Good morning to you as well, Mr. Williams. I’m calling in regards to that blood we drew from Jack yesterday. Unfortunately, it looks like we may need to take more blood for a retest.” 

“A retest? I don’t understand.” Danny said as he focused on the road ahead of him. 

“Well, it seems that there was some contamination of the sample. Although we are not sure how, we are looking into the ways in which it could’ve been contaminated.” 

“What makes you think it was contaminated? Was there, like. . .some weird value or. . .?” Danny fished. 

“Well, what happened was that it looks like there were faulty values. With the values we received. . .it just doesn’t add up to what we examined. . .physically.” 

“Okay. . .like. . .the results are showing he’s sick or something?” 

“Perhaps, but I find his physical examination is not corresponding to the lab findings.” 

“Was it the same with the titer test?” 

“Ah, the interesting thing about that was that. . .it didn’t conclude with. . .having any titers.” 

“No titers?” Danny looked over at the dog for a moment and then back to the road. 

“Well, I should’t say _any_ titers, because he does have titers, but if he had been consistently vaccinated. . .he should have all the titers showing something, not just some of them. Let me explain. We tested his titers for 3 specific viruses; rabies, parvovirus, and distemper. He shows immunity for rabies and distemper, but not parvo. Now what’s odd is that if he had been vaccinated, it would show at least. . .some antibodies, even if it was at the lower end, but. . .it didn’t. He doesn’t have any for the parvovirus. However, since the lab values came back, we’re thinking that maybe we’re dealing with a bad sample. If you come in, we can get the blood no problem, no extra charge to you.” 

Danny came to a red stoplight. Everything from that morning was flowing through his head. Everything that was going on and everything that he needed to be thinking about. . .everything meaning Steve. 

“Okay. . .um. . .would I be able to stop by tomorrow morning?” 

“Yes! Of course!”

“Alright, expect me then.” Danny answered. 

“Alright, we will see you tomorrow.” 

“Okay. Thank you Dr. Scott. Bye.”   
  
“Bye now!” 

Danny hung up and placed the phone at his cup holder. _How the hell could you contaminate a blood sample? Is it really contaminated? Is Jack sick?_ Danny looked over at the dog that sat calmly in the seat next to him. 

Steve looked over at Danny. _Why is he looking at me like that?_  

_Oh, my god. Why is everything going to shit? First Steve, now Jack. . .what the hell is going on?_ Danny thought as he turned his focus back to the road ahead of him. _I hope he’s not in the hospital, but I slightly hope that Chin and Kono find him somewhere. . .then we would ahve an answer._ He thought as the light turned green. He pressed down on the gas. _Okay, take your own advice, Danno. Don’t panic. Think clearly. Things will turn out okay._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Danny walked into HQ with Jack walking right next to him. Danny wasn’t all that surprised that the dog would follow him around obediently without a leash. 

Danny opened the glass doors and walked into the bullpen. Chin and Kono were hovered over the tech table and talking in low voices. 

“Hey guys.” Danny said. “Any luck?” 

Kono and Chin turned at Danny’s voice. “No. We haven’t found anything. No hospitals around the area have anyone with his description. We’ve tried his phone again. It must be dead or off because we aren’t finding a signal and now it’s going straight to voicemail.” Kono responded with a low voice. 

Danny sighed as he came to pause beside them. 

“We’ll find him.” Chin reassured Danny. 

Danny chewed his lower lip. “Yeah.” 

The team fell silent. 

Danny couldn’t help but feel absolutely powerless, not knowing where Steve was or how to help him. He heard a jingle and looked over to the furry face. The dog tilted his head as he looked at Danny. Danny smiled and gave him a little pat on the head. 

“Whose dog?” Kono asked. 

Danny dropped his hand from the dog’s head. “Oh. . .um, I don’t know. Mine for now, I guess. He’s been lurking around my house for a couple days, so I thought I’d just bring him in, you know? And. . .well. . .let’s just say he didn’t really like the idea of staying home by himself.” 

Kono went near the dog. “So, what’s his name?” She offered her hand to Steve. Steve sat and nudged it and Kono proceeded to pet the furry creature. 

“Jack. . .” Danny said. He thought about the name. “You know like. . .Call of the Wild.” He added quickly. Of course, that wasn’t the exact reason Danny named the dog Jack, but who would know? 

Kono smiled at the dog and petted his head gently. 

“You gonna keep him if no one comes forward?” Chin asked as he knelt down. 

“Um. . .I don’t know. Probably.” 

Steve looked at Chin’s hand. _God, everyone with the hands. . ._

Danny watched as the dog sighed and nuzzled Chin’s hand. _Why does he do that? It looks like he gets almost frustrated with certain things._

Chin stroke the dog’s head and neck. “So whatcha gonna do with him?” He asked as he scratched the dog’s chest. 

“I guess I’ll just keep him. . .until something comes up.” Danny shrugged. “He’s really good. He knows the 5 basic commands. . .sit, down, stay, come, leave it. . .and he knows bring! He brought me the paper yesterday morning.” Danny finished with a small smile. 

“Did you bring the paper in? What a smart boy!” Kono cooed at the dog. 

_Really Kono? Don’t get me wrong, I think dog talk is awesome, but it’s a little degrading, especially since I’m the dog._ Steve moved his body closer to Kono and huffed out some breaths as he panted. He appreciated Kono’s small hug and her strokes. It was comforting.

“I think he may know how to track as well. He found a shoe of mine that I hid.” 

“Well, maybe 5 0 needs a police dog.” Chin smiled and gave Steve another pat. He then tilted his head and slowly stood up. He walked over to the tech table.

“What are you doing Chin?” Danny asked as he looked over Chin’s shoulder. 

“I’m looking up Steve’s phone’s last locations when it was on. We’ll know the exact location before it went dead or when it was turned off.” He typed in a few more details and pressed search. 

Three dots popped up and drifted together to form an exact location. The map popped up to display a place in a forest park 35 miles away from HQ. 

Danny stared at the location. “That was the same location I saw Saturday night.” He murmured. 

“What?” 

Danny huffed out a sigh. “I looked into Steve’s location on Saturday night. I was. . .worried and curious and. . .this. . .” He pointed at the screen. “Is what showed up.” He paused. “Looks like he hiked in 10 miles before settling. . .or before the phone died.” Danny murmured. 

“Before settling. There were 2 other readings measuring that he was in the same spot. But then. . .it just goes dead. . .it stops recording. . .” Chin said with a confused look as he looked at Danny. 

“As I recall, Steve has a pretty good phone. . .and I’m sure he would’ve brought a portable battery pack with him to keep the phone charged. Since he was going to be out for 3 days.” Kono recalled as she mindlessly petted Steve. 

Steve nuzzled Kono’s arm and hand. _Damn girl, you’re so smart. You know me so well._

“Well. . .that and he said that he would. He wouldn’t lie about something like that. . .should we go check it out?” Danny asked. 

“How about you go check out the sight? Kono and I can check his home one more time. We can ask around. You know? See if anybody has seen him. . .maybe even ask around the homes around the entrance to the park.” Chin said. “We should also call the park rangers. Maybe they saw something out there. And we should form some kind of press conference. Maybe say something like we are looking for anyone who may have been hiking in the Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park on Thursday. We just have some questions about some events that may have happened around Thursday.” 

Danny nodded. “Alright. I’ll grab a few things from my house and head out.” 

“You’re hiking the ten miles in?” Kono asked. 

“What else do you suggest I do? There are no clearings for copter’s, there are no roads for vehicles, that terrain is too rough for even All-Terrain-Vehicles. . .which aren’t all terrain, by the way.” Danny said. “And go figure that Steve would pick that trail. It’s difficult, challenging, and. . .just his thing to take on.” 

“Maybe we should call for back up. . .we could use some help with this. Maybe get the rangers to help with this.” Kono reasoned. 

“Nah, that’ll take too long. I need to get out and hit the trails as soon as possible.” 

“Okay, okay. If you’re going the 10 mile route, take Jack.” Chin said. As he said it, Steve looked up at him calmly. “Dogs make some of the best detectives. Maybe he can. . .sniff something out.” Chin shrugged. He turned, walking towards Steve’s office. 

Danny nodded. “Alright.” He said as he watched Chin walk over to Steve’s office. 

“Chin! Grab the first aid kit!” Kono called after him. She turned to Danny. “You never know what danger Steve could be in. Oh, and also, take your gun, your radio, and keep your cellphone on.” Kono said.

Danny nodded. 

Chin walked out of Steve’s office with one of the man’s shirts and the first aid kit. “Use this with Jack to find Steve.” He said with a small smile. He handed the clothing and the first aid kit to Danny, who took them. “Since there’s supposed to be rain today, too. Consider taking some rain resistant things. Also-”

“Guys.” Danny paused with a grin. “Thank you for the suggestions. I gotta go.” He turned to the dog, who perked his ears as Danny met his gaze. “Jack, come. Let’s go.” 

Steve moved from his sitting position and followed Danny down the hall. 

“Alright, be safe Danny!” Chin called after him. “We’ll send rangers out after you as soon as we can.”

“Bye, Danny. Keep us updated.” Kono called. 

“Okay, will do.” Danny replied over his shoulder. 

Danny quickly moved down the steps and out of the building, Jack following quickly at his heels. They strode outside and across the grass to Danny’s car. He opened his door. “Let’s go, Jack.” Danny murmured.

Steve jumped into the driver’s seat and stepped over to the passenger’s side. He sat down and looked over at Danny. 

“Alright.” Danny breathed out as he sat in the driver’s seat. “We’ll head back home, back a bag, and head out.” He checked his watch. “It’s about noon, so maybe, guesstimating, travel time and hiking. . .hour prep, about hour ride there. . .10 mile hike in. . .maybe three hours if I kick it in. . .” 

Steve hummed. It came out as a whine.

Danny looked over at the dog. “We. . .if _we_ kick it in.” Danny grinned. 

Steve inwardly smiled at the man. It made him happy to see his partner smiling. 

Danny let out a breath as he put the key in the ignition. “We’re gonna have to push it. We’ll probably be at the site around three o’clock, leaving us time to get to the scene and hike back out.” He backed out of the parking spot and moved his car onto the street. “This is crazy. Something has to be wrong, especially if Steve hasn’t tried to contact. . .anyone.” Danny spoke as he turned down a street. Danny breathed out heavily. “Damn, I hope he’s okay.” He whispered. 

Steve looked over at him. _Danny, I am okay. . .at least, I’m not hurt._ He let out a sigh. _As soon as we get to that warehouse, the better._

“As soon as we hit the trails, the better off we’ll be.” Danny said as he took the streets to his home.


	11. Chapter 11

Danny had arrived at his house, changed his clothes, packed a bag, and started back out on the road. He had stopped by a gas station and a grocery mart to pick up some food and water for himself and Jack as well as fill up on gas before heading back out again. 

Danny was able to make it to the park’s parking lot. He had stepped out and situated his rain coat, placing the hood up for now. He then brought the pack on his shoulders and locked his car. “Jack! Ready?” 

Steve trotted around the car and looked up at Danny as the man shifted his bag again. 

Danny looked up behind Jack and saw something that made his heart beat slightly faster. 

_Steve’s truck. . ._

Danny walked over to the vehicle. He looked it over, noting the ticket on the windshield that stated the car was parked illegally now due to Steve only paying to Sunday evening. Danny walked to the front door. He tried the handle. _Still locked. . ._ He thought absently. He looked inside. Nothing. The seats were empty and everything looked like it was still in place. 

Danny took in a deep breath. “Alright, let’s go.” Danny murmured to Jack. They turned and got started on the trail. 

It was slightly difficult to find a good rhythm with Jack. The dog would take off down the trail and when Danny would not see him for a few seconds, he’d panic, call for the dog, and keep him close, but soon, Danny relaxed and didn’t worry so much when Jack would trot ahead and dart around a curve of the trail. Because he knew the dog would be waiting for him around the bend.

They were making good time, too. It was about 2:15 when Danny pulled his phone out from his pocket. “Okay. So we’re about a half mile away. Whoo!” Danny grinned as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. 

Danny dug his heels into the ground and moved forward. They walked for about another 10 minutes and they made it to the coordinates of the Steve’s last cellphone input. 

“Okay.” Danny panted out as he leaned over his knees. His calves were on fire, his hip ached slightly, and he was feeling an all too familiar heaviness in his knees. _Fuck, you better not crap out on me, I have to walk back._ Danny thought as his stood back up and looked around.

A small stream trickled down next to the trail. It cuddled next to a small, flat clearing that stretched down over a cliff, looking to the hills on the opposite side of the small canyon. It was a quite lovely spot. 

_And perfect for a tent._ Danny thought as he moved closer. As he approached the area, he noticed something else. _A few broken twigs. . .indented, flattened grass. . .over turned rocks. . .Someone was definitely here._

Danny crouched down to examine the ground. 

Steve bounded across the stream, the cool water hitting his paws. He looked around. Where did his tarps go? And his camping stuff? He trotted over to where his makeshift shelter originally had been. He stuck his nose to the ground and sniffed around the area. He stopped for a second as a familiar fragrance haunted him. _Why does it smell like that woman from the warehouse?_ He went back to the ground and began to sniff about again. 

Danny looked over at Jack. He watched the dog sniff the ground and continued to watch as the dog walked forward, smelling along the ground. “Jack?” Danny spoke. 

_Oh, my god. . ._ Steve bounded down the trail that led off into the thick brush. 

“Jack?” Danny called after him a little louder. Danny began to quickly walk towards the trail that the chocolate colored dog ran down. He broke into a jog.  

Steve ran and continued on the trail. He slowed as he came to a fork, the main trail leading to the right and tiny, very narrow and overgrown trail to the left. He stopped and put his head to the ground. He sniffed along the ground and followed it to the left of the fork. Steve looked up. The trail did look overgrown, but upon closer examination, it seemed traveled. Branches had been broken off the trees and the bushes. Grass did hide the dirt path, but it was still noticeable if you looked closely. 

Danny came running up on the dog as he continued to sniff. “Jack! What has gotten into you?” 

Steve looked up at him and then back to the trail. He let out a small whine. 

Danny looked to where Steve was looking. “That’s probably a hog trail, pal.” 

Steve moved forward onto the trail and walked along it. 

“Jack.” Danny said warningly. 

Steve ignored the call. He needed to follow this scent while it was still fresh. 

“Augh.” Danny grumbled as he followed, breaking into a run. 

Steve ran down the trail, dodging the random branches and sticks that poked out of the grass. After about fifteen minutes at this pace, Steve slowed as he came to a clearing. There was a field with tall grass that ended just before a flat 40 feet plain of dirt before a warehouse. There were several trees planted about in the dirt and a few planted in the tall grass, shading and slightly hiding the blue colored warehouse. 

Danny stumbled up behind him. “Jack, what is your issue? I mean, you need to not. . .” He looked up and saw the warehouse through the trees and the grass. “Run off. . .” 

Steve stared at the warehouse, his heart pounding. _That’s it. . .that’s the warehouse._ He took off at a run to the building. 

“Jack!” Danny hissed after the dog. 

Steve bounded towards the warehouse. There was no one at the warehouse at the moment. Steve knew this because as soon as he got to the warehouse door, he had listened and heard nothing.

_Stupid dog._ Danny thought as he followed the dog. He felt the raindrops on his raincoat and he heard it pounding down on the warehouse roof. He moved toward the warehouse and leaned next to he wall near a door to the warehouse. He had yet to see a window. 

_No windows? Fuck, it’s going to be difficult to look in._ Danny thought as he drew his gun from his holster. He checked his chamber and his magazine. He knew everything was good to go. He never left anywhere with his gun not loaded, but double checking always made him feel better prepared. He looked over at Jack. 

Steve had moved to the door. He was sniffing at the door. _This is it. This is the right warehouse._ He lifted his head and looked up and down at it. 

Danny saw this. “Jack?” 

Steve looked over at Danny and then back at the door. He sat down at the door and continued to stare at it. 

Danny looked over at the door. _Could this be it? Could this be where Steve is?_ He snuck over to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob and twisted it. _Fuck, it’s locked._ Danny slumped back against the wall as he dropped his hand from the doorknob. _If Steve was here, he could just fucking bust that shit in._ Danny sighed as he looked to his right. “Looks like we need to find another way in.” He murmured. 

Steve got up from his spot and trotted over to his right. 

“Jack!” Danny whispered as he watched the dog go. Danny rolled his eyes. _What’s gotten into him? He hasn’t behaved like this at all in the past few days._

Steve moved around the building quickly, looking up and down at the walls. _No windows. . .no other doors._ Steve sighed. _There has to be another way in._

Steve made a full circle and looked over at some barrels. _I wonder if there is a way in through the roof._ He backed up and looked up at the roof. 

Sure enough, there was a small window that sat on the roof. _Oh, yeah. . .that skylight I saw when I was on that table._ Steve sat down in front of the barrels and looked up at the roof. He turned to Danny who was looking at him. He let out a whine and looked back up at the roof. 

Danny had watched the dog as he came back around the corner. He moved from his spot over to where Jack sat. He looked up at the roof. “Ah, you found a window.” He murmured. He looked down and pet the dog’s head. “Good work.” He said looking up. 

Steve looked up and nosed his hand. _Yeah, you’re pretty smart, too, partner, for understanding what a dog is trying to communicate to you._ He thought as he raised a paw up to the man’s thigh. 

Danny grinned as he looked back down at the dog. “Yeah, you know you did good.” He said continuing his scratching. “Okay. . .looks like you’re gonna need to stay here though for a moment.” 

Steve watched as Danny moved to the barrels and shimmied them closer to the tin roof. “Hopefully it’s not too slick.” He murmured. 

Steve watched as Danny carefully stepped up on the barrel. He then gripped onto the roof and hoisted himself up. He stayed completely stretched out on his stomach for a few moments. 

_Holy shit. . .what am I doing? I’m breaking into a warehouse for no fucking reason. . .no, I have reason. I may have heard a shout. . .some weird noises. . .and I needed to get in. Because I had probable cause. No one has keys. . .no one is here. . .so yeah, as a member of law enforcement, I’m obligated to._ Danny thought as he shimmied his way up the slanted roof.  He slowly made it to the window and tried it. _Fuck, yeah. Not locked! Has to be luck!_ He thought as he had pulled the window out towards him. 

He poked his head in the warehouse. 

No one was in the warehouse. He saw cabinets, shelves, and cages of animals. _Illegally kept animals?_ Danny thought as he looked at the monkeys, lynxes, and exotic looking birds, from Macaws, Northern Cardinals, and parrots to pigeons, doves, and a few chickens. _Oh, my god, is that a California Condor? Holy shit, this person’s going to have a hefty fine._

Danny looked around. It wasn’t that far of a drop. He could just hang down and drop himself down. _That will probably kill my knee._ Danny thought as he searched around the warehouse. _Maybe I can hang from the rafters and edge my way to the wall. And_ ** _then_** _drop down._ Danny thought as he looked around again. He shimmied himself down through the window and held onto the seal of the window. He swung himself down along the rafters towards the wall of the warehouse. He reached it and let go of the ledge, dropping down to the ground. Danny winced as he felt a pain streak through his right knee. _Damn, gonna need to ice that when I get home._  

Danny moved to the door on the side to let Jack in. He unlocked the bolt lock after ensuring that there were no alarms around the door. It was luck. . .he figured that there would’ve been an imbedded alarm within the door, but whoever owned the place must not have been smart enough to install one. 

_Or isn’t going to be away for a long time._ Danny thought as he looked around, closing the door behind him. “Hey, good boy.” Danny murmured as Jack walked through the threshold and move into the building. Danny looked around after locking the door again. His gaze stopped at an area with plastic drapes. He saw through it and it looked like there was a table. _What is that?_ Danny wondered as he moved towards it. 

Steve looked around. _It’s gotta be here somewhere._ Steve thought as he took off towards the back. 

Danny had not noticed. His attention was solely on the area with the plastic drapes. He walked towards it and stopped just near it. He looked up and down at the drape. It was hazy and not entirely see through. Danny took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of one of the large strips of plastic. He pulled it to the side and looked inside the area. 

There was a table inside. A medical looking table. It reminded Danny of the tables in Max’s office. . .

It was tilted slightly upwards. It had straps. Straps that, if someone were to sit in it, they would fasten at the wrists, biceps, torso, thighs, mid shin, and ankles. 

Danny’s mouth dropped as flashes of memories flickered into his mind. _The dream. . .Steve. ._

Danny crossed over to it, circling it. There was a big light hanging over the table. Next to the table were two big stainless steel tables. Danny crossed over to the other tables. _What is this?_ He wondered as he looked around again. 

Steve moved the back room. There was a laboratory looking area in the corner. There was counter space with a large freezer, cabinets, and shelves of different ingredients for whatever concoctions were made up. _Okay, it has to be in here somewhere._

Steve walked over to the chair. He pushed it out with his nose. He jumped on the swivel chair and looked on the counter. It was clear. Nothing was on it. He sighed with frustration. _That would’ve been too easy._   He thought as he jumped down from the chair. _It’s my serum, isn’t it? So. . .wouldn’t it have to be kept, like, in the fridge or freezer?_ He looked over at the freezer. 

He walked up to the large freezer. _Hmm. . .I wonder if I can open it. . ._ Steve hopped up on his hind legs and tried his best to open the door. _Come on. . ._ He thought as he tugged at the handle with his teeth. He stopped and pawed at it. He then nudged at the handle with his nose. _Stupid body. . ._ He thought as he sat down and whined. 

Danny had been looking down at the ground for any evidence, but he found nothing. He stood up and moved back to the table with the straps. He brushed his fingers along the straps and more flashes came up in his mind. 

_The field. . .the dog._ Danny breathed heavily as he recalled the events in his dream. He felt himself beginning to panic. 

Jack’s bark brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up as he heard a bark from the other room. _I don’t understand. . .what the hell is going on?_ He wondered as he looked towards the back room and walked out of the plastic area and walked to where Jack was. He saw the dog, gazing at the freezer. In my dream. . .the same dog. . . 

Steve looked up at Danny. His expression spooked Steve. Danny looked anxious, panicked and in shock. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Steve stayed sitting. “Danny, Danny!” 

Jack barked at him, pulling Danny out of his thoughts. Danny shook himself back to the present and looked at the dog that was demanding his attention. “Whatcha got, bud?” 

Jack stood up and looked at him and back at the fridge. 

“Something in the freezer?” Danny asked as he walked over to the freezer and opened it. “HOLY SHIT!” 

Steve jumped at Danny’s exclamation and backed away from the freezer. Steve let out a whine. _Danny, what’s going on?!_ He moved to Danny and nudged the man’s hand. 

Danny clutched onto his chest. He breathed heavily as his heart raced in his chest. He let out a final heavy breath. “Jeez. . .” He murmured as he walked back over to the freezer and opened it again. 

Steve hopped up on his hind legs again as Danny opened it. He peered in. His heart raced as he saw a body of a man. _Oh, that’s not Dr. Young. Okay. . .wonder what happened. . ._ Steve drew his eyes around the freezer. His heart jumped at the sight of the stand that held 5 vials. . .5 vials that were filled with solid amber colored serum. His serum. He fidgeted. _How am I going to get to them?_

Danny looked over at Jack. The dog seemed very focused on the vials of. . .whatever it was. _Serum? It ain’t blood, that’s for sure._ Danny thought as he reached over and lifted a vial out of the stand. He turned it around. His stomach dropped as he read the elegant script on the label sticker. 

**_Steve McGarrett_ **

Danny felt his throat go dry and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. “Are you kidding me?” He whispered as he stared at the vial. His partner’s name stared back up at him. 

He lowered the vial and looked at the ground. All sorts of things flashed about in his mind. Where was Steve? Why was his serum in this strange warehouse freezer? Why was there a body in the freezer? 

Steve looked at the serum vial. It had his name written on the side. . .at least the letters he could make out. He gently opened his mouth and surrounded his mouth around the vial. He looked up at Danny, who didn’t seem to notice it all that much. _If I can heat this up, maybe I’ll be able to get this into my system. . .somehow. . .can I even ingest this? Will it work that way?_

Danny stared at the other vials of serum that were in the freezer. _What the hell is going on? Where is Steve? Why is his serum in this freezer?_ He swallowed and stepped away from the freezer. _There has to be more evidence of his being here._ He looked around as he dropped his hand from the freezer. _Wait, no. . .Danny. . .Calibrate._ He thought. _There is a dead body in the freezer. We need to figure out who this is and who did this._ He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He shrugged off his pack and fiddled around it, looking for gloves, which he found. He put them on and moved back to the freezer. He took in a breath and went to touch the frozen body. He touched the head. _It’s not as frozen as it could be. . ._ Danny thought. He took the man’s head and moved it upwards. He took his phone and took a picture of the face. He then took the man’s hand, jerking it up a bit to loosen it from its slightly frozen bind, and took a close up, detailed picture of the man’s finger. He checked his bar status. _Full bars. . .full range. . .should be good._ He put both pictures in a message and sent it to Chin’s phone with a message.

Steve watched Danny as he processed the scene. He hoped it wouldn’t take much longer. He didn’t want people walking in on them. 

Danny stopped for a second and stared at his phone. _If Steve was here. . .or if he_ ** _is_** _here. . ._ He gritted his teeth and scrolled through his phone. He found Steve’s number and clicked on it. His heart pounded in his ears as he listened to the first dial. 

Danny’s heart dropped as he heard vibrating nearby. He slowly turned to the drawers behind him as he brought the phone away from his ear. He walked towards the sound of the vibrating. He pulled the white drawer out and looked inside. 

It was Steve’s phone, barely alive with the red battery icon staring at him. He looked at the screen. He scrolled down the home screen. His phone calls were all there. . .unanswered. His voicemails were all there. . .not listened to. 

Steve looked up at Danny. _That’s my phone._ He thought as he stared at the mobile device. _They took my phone off me? It makes sense that they would, but still. . ._ Steve thought as he stared at Danny with the serum vial still in his mouth. _Why would they keep it?_  

Danny took the phone and placed it in an evidence bag that he got from his backpack. “Maybe we can get some finger prints off it. . .” He said as he placed the bag in a safe place in his pack. He then lifted the freezer door once more. _I don’t know when I’ll be able to get this to the lab. Should I take it anyway?_ Danny hesitated. _I guess I could wrap it in one of those ice packs._ Danny thought as he reached for a gel pack. He took one of his bags, took another serum vial, and placed it in the bag. He then wrapped the vial in the cool pack, placed that inside another bag, and then moved it to his pack. 

Danny stood up. “Okay. . .I better call Chin and see what he and Kono think of this situation.” He murmured as he took his phone and began to scroll through it. 

Just then, Steve turned at the noise of the door opening and voices. He turned to Danny and whined quietly. 

Danny’s stomach dropped at the noises. “Shit!” He murmured and grabbed his pack. He looked around. His heart jumped as he saw a large cabinet on the other side of the room. He quickly moved to it. “Jack, come.” He whispered. He opened it. _Oh, thank god, a place to hide._ Danny thought as he swiped some hazmat suits to one side of the wardrobe like cabinet. He slid the boots that were on the floor to one side so Jack could sit next to him. 

Steve followed him and sat in the cabinet at Danny’s feet. 

Danny closed the door and calmed his breathing so as to not to be heard. He could slightly see out of the slit of the cabinet. 

Steve looked up at Danny. 

Danny saw Jack look up at him. He placed a finger to his lips. “Shhh.” He whispered. “Stay.” Danny watched Jack hunker down and he stayed quiet. Danny felt his heart beat in his throat. _Holy shit, what the fuck are we doing? Please, Jack, stay quiet. . .How the hell are we going to get out of this?_

“It’s been 4 days. The place isn’t swarming with the cops yet. . .nor the feds. So, we can now get rid of Ben and the items that were on that, that Steve fellow.” A woman’s voice echoed through the warehouse. 

“I wonder where he went. We must’ve looked for hours and he. . .just. . .disappeared. That concoction doesn’t, like, deteriorate bodies, does it?” Another female voice said. 

“No. But it’s been four days. He should be dead. That’s what the compound does.” 

“But he could’ve found his way to the closest gas station or. . .house or something.” 

“Yes, but there hasn’t been anything in the news. Plus, with the way the poison was prepared, I’d be surprised if he got out of the park. If he did and managed to get some kind of help, he would’ve died three days ago, because no one would have had any idea of how to help him.”

Danny bit his lower lip. _Poison? Concoction? What did they do to Steve? Steve got out? Where is he?_

Steve would’ve gritted his teeth if the serum vial wasn’t in between them. _You’re gonna be surprised when you get arrested for attempted murder. Oh, and murder it looks like with. . .Ben. . .I assume is the guy in the freezer._

Danny saw the two women walk to where he and Jack had just been standing. 

“But you even said that he was reacting to the poison how you thought he’d react.” 

“True, but. . .I mean, with all of the other test subjects, we found a pattern. Pain, unconsciousness, death. That’s how it occurred back in Georgia, too.” 

_Georgia? Test subjects? Human or animals? Or both? What are they testing?_ Danny swallowed nervously. 

“Rick should be back soon with Kevin. And Paul and Justine should be in at about 6. Rick will let us know about the ‘good doctor’.” 

_Dr. Young? Is he still alive? Oh, god that poor man._ Steve thought. 

“Yeah. He was pretty afraid of what we’d do to him and his son when that run with Steve got fucked up.” 

_Blackmail? Who is this doctor?_ Danny wondered, gaining more and more information as the women continued to talk. 

“He’s been easier to handle, now that he knows that we have his kid.”

“Sorry, Lex, but I disagree with that.”

“Oh, the kid’s fine. Besides. . .it’s more like we have eyes on his kid. We don’t really have his kid. We’re not going to do anything to him.” 

“That’s what you said about Ben, and yet, he’s in the freezer.” 

“Ben. . .was a liability. We couldn’t just keep him around. He was going to nark because he thought this was wrong. It was better to get rid of the possibility of him telling on us and halting our production, rather than just. . .be done with him and stopping our process because of cops wanting to search the warehouse.” The woman Danny presumed to be the one called ‘Lex’ paused. “Look, things change. People change. We can’t let changes stop this from happening. Okay?” 

“What if the doctor changes? What if he starts. . .acting up?” 

“Then, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. He has been pretty good. He even cleared his station before he left. See?” 

Danny heard the sound of drawers opening and cabinets opening. _Ben. . .liability. . .blackmail. . . Oh, god. . .this is bad. Where is Steve?_

“Where is that phone? If the doctor has been fiddling in these drawers, he’s going to be in trouble.” 

Danny’s stomach dropped. He had the phone. His stomach knotted again as he heard the warehouse door open once more.

“Hey, Lex! Lu! Where are you?” A male voice shouted. 

“Back room!”

Danny heard footsteps coming closer to the room. 

“What’s the plan now?” One of the men asked. 

“Removal of evidences and the body. How was Young?” 

“He was fine. Barry and Stan are now watching him.” 

“Yeah. . .did he have anything on him?” 

“No. . .why?” 

“Because we can’t find the phone that was on our recent test subject. And I remember putting it in this drawer. He was over here this morning.”

“Are you sure? It’s no where else?” 

There was a pause. 

“Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Look, Lex, I don’t know where it is. Young didn’t have anything on him when he was checked at the time of our guard. Nor did he have anything on him when we left.”

“Well, we need to find it. We can’t have it here.” 

“We’ll find it. What else needs to happen today?” 

“Regular clean up. . .and serum testing. I need to figure out what went on with that man. I just want to test it again.” 

“Alright. Where are we dumping Ben?” 

“In the West Alley. Nobody ever looks there. Too deep and lush of greenery.” 

“Alright. We’ll get to it.” 

Danny held his breath as he listened to the soft chatters of the women and rustling around of the men in the freezer. 

“Fuck, he weighs a ton.” One of the men said. 

“Yeah, no kidding.” The other said. 

Danny listened as the noises grew quieter and quieter. As soon as the warehouse grew quiet and he heard a click of the door, and Danny waited for a few moments, he opened the door and looked out. No one was there. He quietly stepped out, his heart pounding in his chest, allowing Jack out before shutting the door quietly. He moved to the archway and easily peeked out. 

The warehouse seemed empty. 

Steve followed at his heels. He had trudged quietly out of the cabinet and followed Danny to the archway.

Danny slowly moved out into the walkway and crept through the warehouse to the door. 

Steve followed him, quietly maneuvering around tall, empty cages, shelves, and boxes. He still held the serum in his mouth, hoping it would melt fully soon. 

Danny’s stomach dropped as he heard the door open once more. He dropped behind a large box. He turned to look behind him and saw Jack stop and sit behind a box a few feet away. 

Steve listened as the women’s voices drew closer to the door and back inside the warehouse. _Fuck, how are we going to get out of this?_ Steve thought as looked around. 

“Grab that pack from the back.” One of the men said. 

Steve heard footsteps heading to the back room and looked over at Danny. The man looked anxious, like he did when they were invading a criminal’s lair. _I need to get him out of here._ Steve looked back through halfway filled shelves to see the two women and the man near the door. He looked around. He looked back to Danny who seemed to be focused on listening to the conversation between the women and the man. He placed the serum on the ground and gently rolled it with his nose towards Danny. The man did not seem to notice. 

“Yeah, we’ll just be here looking at the serum and testing it. We’ll wait for you to get back to go over what the next steps will be.” 

Danny gritted his teeth. _Crap. If they’re here, they’ll hear that door open. How the hell are we gonna get out of here?_ Danny glanced at the ground and saw the vial of halfway defrosted serum. _What tha?_ Danny picked up the vial and gazed at it.

*CRASH*

A loud crash made Danny’s insides jumble in a knot and it felt like his heart stopped as he looked over at the noise. Jack had knocked over a crate with a bunch medical supplies that were in it. _You stupid dog, you’ve killed us._ Danny thought as he breathed through his jaw dropped mouth.

If he had the ability, Steve would’ve laughed at the ‘I’m gonna fucking kill you’ look Danny gave him. _Ah, feels like old times._ Steve thought as turned his head back to the group and he listened for his cue. 

“What was that?” 

There was an eerie silence. 

“Someone there?”

Steve narrowed his eyes. _Not yet. . ._

“Come out!” 

Foot steps approached closer to them. Danny unsheathed his gun, preparing to use it if he needed to. 

“You’re trespassing on private property! COME OUT NOW!” 

_Almost there._ Steve stood and hunched his shoulders, getting ready to pounce. 

Danny saw the stance. He tried to get Jack’s attention, but the idiot dog didn’t look. _Oh, my god. Jack, you’re gonna get yourself killed._

“HEY!” 

_Now!_ Steve leapt from his hiding spot and scuttled across the warehouse to the open walkway in the middle, staring at the group. 

“What the-”

“It’s a-”

“Get it!”

Steve turned and ran to the back of the warehouse. The three ran after him. 

_Fuck, Jack. What are you doing?_ Danny thought as he saw the people move away from the door. Danny glanced at the door that was now completely open and available for him to slip through. _Diversion?_ Danny looked at the dog with his jaw still dropped. _What kind of dog is this?_ He wondered as he moved to the door. 

“Wait! Slow down!” 

Steve ran the length of the warehouse and paused to turn and look behind him at the group that had slowed their running to a slow jog. Steve looked forward to charge ahead, to run past them to the door, but was completely caught off guard when the other man showed up from the back room and grabbed him at his scruff. 

“SHIT!” Steve shouted. Like before, with anything he tried to say, it came out in some weird dog noise. 

Danny saw this and his stomach dropped as Jack let out a loud yelp. “HEY!” He shouted and whistled as he pointed his gun at the group. 

All four persons that were pursuing the dog stopped and turned at the noise Danny made. Steve took the chance and turned to bite hard on the man’s hand. The man shrieked and released his grip on him. Steve hit the ground and sprinted to the door. 

“Jack! Come!” Danny shouted, encouraging him on.

“YOU! STOP!”

“WHO ARE YOU? WHY ARE YOU IN HERE?”

Steve hurried to the door. 

“STOP!” 

Danny ushered Steve out the door and shut it with a loud bang behind him. “Run!” Danny yelled to Jack. 

Steve took off towards the woods. He kept glancing behind him making sure Danny was following. 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck. How the hell are we gonna get out of this one?_ Danny thought as they jogged through the thick brush. Long grass brushed around his ankles and up to his mid calf. He jumped over fallen branches and small trees, following Jack. “Awful stunt you pulled back there, bud.” Danny murmured to the dog. “And I’m not talking about the bite, because. . .that was actually pretty cool to watch. . .terrifying, but cool.” 

Steve perked up at the compliment and jogged with a little more kick in his step. _Had to, we were in a bind._ Steve thought as he looked up at Danny momentarily before looking ahead. He saw vial drop from the man’s pocket as they ran in the grass. Steve slowed and grabbed it. 

“What the hell are you doing with that vial?” Danny asked with a small grin. 

Steve kept ahold of the vial as he caught up with Danny. _Of vital importance, Danno._

“Whatever, you can keep it. As long as we get the hell out of here.” Danny breathed out. “Since you knew the way out of _there_ , any chance you know a way out here?” Danny panted as he looked around. 

Steve looked around as well. He had hiked along a trail around here somewhere. Before he turned into a dog. He looked over at a steady incline up the small mountain that towered over them. _There. . .that’ll lead us somewhere, I know. . ._ Steve thought as he turned his path to the incline. He picked up his speed just a tad. 

Danny looked behind him as he heard several shouts. “Damn, bud, they’re after us.” He puffed out softly. 

Steve knew he had to get them to safety and kept running. 

“Ah, fuck.” Danny murmured as he looked up and felt rain drops pelt on his skin. Within seconds, the sky opened up and poured down on them. “Shit.” Danny cursed under his breath. _We better be careful on these trails. Or at least I need to be. . .Jack seems to be handling himself._ Danny glanced at him as he continued his, now, running. _God, I hope we ditch these guys soon._ Danny heard the voices again in the distance.

They continued to the incline of the small mountain. Once they started on it, Danny ducked low, trying to keep up with Jack. He was finding it difficult, especially now that his knee was beginning to start with its agitated stabbing pains. 

Steve noticed Danny slowing. _Oh, no, Danno, come on. I know it’s tough._ He slowed down to trail behind Danny. _Come on, Danno._ He began to nudge Danny’s thigh and hip. _Come on, bud pick it up._  

“Okay, okay.” Danny murmured. He picked up his pace again, trying to ignore the pain in his knee. 

They continued up the incline. Steve shook his body as he continued to run, rain drops falling off his coat. _We got out of the warehouse and we’ll get out of this, too._


	12. Chapter 12

Steve and Danny ran along an uneven path on the small mountain. It was still raining heavily and the ground was still muddy, and slightly slippery due to the small amount of grass sprouting up. Vines and brush covered the mountain side. Trees and bushes sat near the ledge, like a railing along the trail. 

Danny huffed out and continued following Jack. 

Steve began to feel a liquid in his mouth. _Wha? What is this?_ It tasted ungodly salty and only slightly metallic. _The serum!_ Steve thought as he felt around with his tongue. _It’s cracked! Fuck!_ Steve continued his running as he tried to block the serum from dripping out of the vial. 

It didn’t work. 

As soon as he applied more pressure, the vial cracked in his mouth. _FUCK!_ Steve slowed as he kept his mouth shut momentarily. He stopped and swallowed with his tongue on the roof of his mouth with the broken glass sitting in between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. As he had swallowed, he felt that salty, metallic taste run down the back of his throat. _Aw, shit._ Steve thought. He turned to spit out the glass. He panted heavily. _Ah, fuck, it cut me!_ Steve stuck his tongue out and coughed, trying to get the glass out. He hunched his back as he coughed and sat down. He tasted blood and swallowed once more. 

Danny saw Jack slow down and stop. He stopped too. “Hey, bud. What’s-” He saw the dog cough and spit up a bunch of clear glass. “Ah, you broke the vial? Careful.” Danny murmured as he moved to the dog that panted. He knelt down and petted the dog’s side. 

Steve swallowed again. _Whoa. . ._ He suddenly felt an internal rush. His stomach and chest tightened. Something was off. _Oh, damn, what’s happening?_ Steve thought. He felt his stomach begin to burn. 

“Let’s go.” Danny murmured as he patted the dog’s side and stood up. He began to run once more. 

Steve picked himself up and pushed himself to run after Danny. _I need to find us a place to hide. WHOA!_ He felt stabbing pain in his abdomen and he began to feel how he did that night. . .

When he escaped. 

 _Oh, fuck! This hurts._ Steve thought as he pushed himself after Danny. More stabbing waves of pain struck Steve’s sides, making him momentarily slow before speeding up again. 

Danny ran ahead, not especially noticing Jack falling behind him. _We can’t keep running forever. We need a way out of this._

Steve stumbled and brushed against the side of the mountain. He panted heavily. He grimaced as wave after wave of pain struck him. He stumbled once more, feeling suddenly extremely dizzy. The stabbing in his abdomen turned back in to a burning sensation. If felt like his insides were on fire. He continued to stumble his way along the path. He staggered around a large boulder and stopped, starting to shake. 

Danny stopped to turn. Jack had paused by a large boulder. “Jack, let’s go!” He said quietly. 

Steve hunched his body over. _I can’t, Danno. . .fuck!_ He let out a loud whine. 

The whine startled Danny. He furrowed his brows. “Bud, what’s going on?” He asked as he moved back to Jack. 

Steve looked to his left and saw a small opening. _Hiding spot!_ He rushed in to it. 

“Hey! Jack!” Danny called after him. 

Steve moved deep into the cave. _Oh, shit! This hurts so bad! Fuck!_ He thought as he darted behind a wall of rock. He collapsed on the ground as some strange force over came him. _Holy shit!!!_ Steve grimaced as he huddled in a fetal position. 

Danny breathed heavily as he snuck into the cave. He looked over his shoulder and over the small cliff outside the mouth of the cave. Drenched in rain and sweat, he ran a hand through his hair, set down his pack from his back and looked around for the dog. 

“Jack!” He whispered. 

He heard the jingle of the dog’s collar in the back of the cave, behind a wall of rock. 

“Jack! Come!” He whispered fiercely. 

His stomach dropped as he heard another pained whimper from the dog. 

“Jack?” He called quietly. _What’s going on with him?_

Whimpers and groans erupted from the back of the cave. Danny could feel himself become frightened as he listened to the noises. A soft howl rang in the cave. And then nothing. 

Danny stood near the mouth of the cave, hearing the noises and feeling terrified. He swallowed, his mouth and throat dry, and raised his gun, pointing to the back of the cave. He turned on his flashlight and pointed it to where his gun pointed. Danny began to move slowly towards the noises. 

As Danny moved closer, he heard movements against the ground. . .shuffling. He could still hear the jingle of the collar but it sounded different. 

Danny swore everything stopped as he saw a man emerge into view. At first it had startled Danny, making sure his gun was on point, ready to take the shot. However, Danny examined the man more closely. He was naked, drenched by the rain, and completely recognizable, even in the dark. 

Danny felt his throat close as he looked at the man. “S-Steve?” Danny called to him quietly as he lowered his gun. 

The man continued to stumble to the mouth of the cave, clutching onto the walls and rocks in the cave and inched closer to where Danny stood. “D-Danny?” The man’s ragged voice whispered in the dark as the rain continued to pour outside of the cave.  

“Steve.” Danny holstered his gun and watched Steve draw closer to him. He reached in his pack and pulled out a thin fleece blanket. 

Steve continued closer to him and did not speak. A collar jingled against the man’s bare chest as he walked. 

“Steve, where have you been?” Danny watched as Steve’s legs started to shake violently. The man’s knees started to buckle. Danny reached out and grabbed Steve before he fell. He brushed against Steve’s naked body, blushing as he did. The man didn’t seem to mind him being naked in front of Danny. Danny helped Steve stand and then threw the blanket around Steve’s back and pulled it around his dripping body. 

Danny was relieved that Steve was okay, at least, that’s what it looked like presently. However, in his relief, he was upset. He had no idea what was going on with Steve or what had happened to him. “Where the hell have you been, Steve?! We’ve been worried sick, you jerk!” Danny asked again, with a little more heat on his voice as he jerked on the blanket.

Steve looked up into Danny’s fiery blue eyes. He wasn’t going to wait another second. He grasped onto Danny’s shirt and pulled him in close, lips meeting in a surprising kiss. 

Absolute shock ran through Danny’s body. His breathing ceased. His heartbeat became louder. His hands began to twitch as he held onto the blanket. _Wha-what is he doing?! Why is he doing this?!_

Steve kept him close as his hands trailed up to Danny’s neck. He wrapped one arm around his neck and played with his wet hair as he kept his lips on Danny’s. Danny’s hand wandered up to Steve’s cheek. 

They broke and Steve kept his gaze low before flicking them to Danny’s shocked blue eyes. 

Danny breathed hard as he heard the rain pelt down on the world behind him. “S-Steve. . .” 

“God, Danny it’s so good to see you. . .” Steve whispered as he moved his arms around Danny, hugging him, holding him tight. “Well, in normal view.” He murmured with a grin as he had noticed Danny’s color in his cheeks. He didn’t mind. He had missed interacting with Danny normally. 

Danny hesitated before he hugged him back. “It’s. . .good to see you, too.” He paused. “What do you mean in normal view?” He asked as he pulled back to look at Steve. 

So many things clouded Steve’s mind. He shuffled his arms to cover his body again. He began to feel overwhelmed and spoke at lightning speed. “Danny. . .I know. I know how you truly feel about me. I know my being gone worried you and I now know that I want you to know that I feel the same. I missed you even though I was near. . .I was so close-and yet-so far away-never being able to talk to you. . .” He took in a breath. “And then the people-that group-Lex, and Lu-and-and-”

Danny furrowed his brows and shook his head slightly. “Whoa, whoa. Slow down. What are you talking about?” 

“Being a dog changed me-” 

Danny looked like he had just been stunned. “What? You’re talking nonsense.” 

Steve grabbed Danny’s arms. “You know the dog that followed you around? The one you called Jack. . .that was me.” He breathed heavily as he still felt aftershocks of pain prick his body. It felt a lot like goosebumps, but instead of a pleasurable shiver, it was a serious painful stabs. 

“What?!” 

Steve licked his lip. “This woman, that woman, who’s following us, she, and her group of tough guys, abducted me and-and used this drug on me-I was able to escape. . .the doctor, they were talking about in the warehouse, helped me-Dr. Robert Young. I don’t know where he is now, but he was being blackmailed into helping them. From what it sounded like, he’s being kept somewhere else. Thursday night, the night they grabbed me, he said he would give me the reversal to switch me back, but he never showed-or rather I blacked out and he couldn’t find me-after that, I figured out I was a dog and that’s when I got to your place and-just-I just stayed and-and. . .” Steve took in a gasp with wide eyes and then he shuddered out a breath. He brought a hand to his forehead and ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Hey, hey. Everything’s going to be okay.” Danny knew Steve was overwhelmed and shaky. He placed a hand on Steve’s arm. 

“No. . .Danny, those people, that were chasing us-they will kill us.” Steve trembled as he looked past Danny to the rainy world outside the cave. “They’re. . .smart, quick, cunning-I. . .I just. . .” 

Danny looked at Steve. His eyes were wide, his pulse had probably picked up, and he was definitely breathing faster. _What did these people do to him to make him so afraid?_ Danny had never seen his partner act this way. And if Steve was acting this way, Danny knew he needed to worry. “Steve. . .you are a SEAL, remember? You can kick some serious ass and these guys will be no different.” 

Steve shook his head. “I can’t. I’m shaky and I know that my coordination is completely off from the reversal, the. . .the switch back.” Steve looked into Danny’s eyes. “I can’t make it back to the city until a couple of hours pass. Even now, it’s still working to change me back, I can feel it.” He winced as another wave pulsated through his body. “It’s like last time. . .it feels worse though.” Steve winced again as he moved to the cave wall and slid down to sit on the ground. Danny followed him and sat next to him. He reached into his bag, pulled out a jug of water and gave it to Steve. Steve opened the jug and drank. 

“Feels worse? How do you mean?” Danny asked feeling slightly lost with how to help Steve. 

Steve pulled from the jug and gasped, breathing deeply as he placed the cap back on. “When they had abducted me, I think they were doing experiments with new compounds, uh, drug combinations, or something. The mixture they gave me, I believe, was supposed to inflict torture before a slow death within the body. They were observing the torture affects on me and said that they were going to reverse it before the killing part of the mixture set in, so, from what they were saying to each other and from that doctor, Dr. Young, I knew there was a reversal or at least some kind of antidote they had that would. . .reset me. However, the concoction they used turned me into a dog. . .Dr. Young had changed an ingredient in the concoction. . .so instead of pain and torture and death. . .it turned me into a dog. . .” 

“Wolf’s boon instead of wolf’s bane?” Danny asked with a grin. 

Steve laughed softly at his word play. “Yeah, something like that I guess.”  

Danny looked at his smile and realized how much he had missed it. “Did it hurt?” 

Steve nodded. “Experiencing your DNA changing like that. . .twice now. . .” He shook his head. “Yeah, it hurts. A lot.” 

“I have pain killers.” Danny said reaching into his bag. 

“No.” Steve answered quickly and authoritatively, making Danny look back at him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound. . .” Steve shook his head. 

“No, it’s okay.” 

“I-” Steve took in a steady breath and Danny saw the tears start to form in the man’s eyes. “No more drugs. . .please. I don’t want to. . .” He trailed off looking away. 

“You don’t want there to be a possible mix up.” 

Steve nodded. “I don’t want to go back-I don’t want to-it hurts, and-”

Danny shook his head and placed a hand on the back of Steve’s neck. “You won’t. You won’t, okay?” He smiled at Steve. “I’m here and nothing bad will happen. No drugs. Okay?” 

Steve looked at him as he felt Danny’s fingers stroke his hair. He wasn’t certain on a lot of things, but the one thing he was certain about at that moment was that Danny would keep him safe. 

“Hey. Okay?” Danny asked again. 

Steve bit his lower lip and nodded. 

Danny smiled. “Now. . .I have a change of clothes, if you’d like to wear something.” 

Steve nodded. “Yeah, let’s do that.” 

Danny pulled out a pair of shorts and the man’s actual shirt Chin had grabbed from Steve’s office. 

Steve shimmied into his shirt and slowly leaned forward and stood up slightly. He dropped the blanket and moved the shorts to face the right direction. 

Danny let the man use him to heave himself up. He made a point to stare straight forward. However, out of the corner of his eye, he faintly saw Steve’s lower half before Steve slid the shorts on. 

Steve slowly sat back down and settled. He wrapped the blanket back around him, still feeling cold and chilly. “Thank you.” He murmured quietly as he rested his head against the wall of the cave. He closed his eyes. 

Danny turned and smiled at him. “Yeah, anytime.” He looked back to his bag. 

An overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety overcame Steve. He felt that lump rise in his throat and tears come. He felt his lip tremble. He sniffed quietly, hoping Danny wouldn’t hear. 

Danny heard a quiet sniff. He saw small tears trickle down the side of his cheek. He saw the lip quiver and the movement of his Adam’s apple, indicating a swallow. “Steve?” He said quietly. 

At his name being called, Steve shed more tears. He kept his eyes shut, thinking that, for whatever reason, Danny wouldn’t see his tears. “Yeah?” He swallowed. 

Danny didn’t know what to say. The man was drained. He was overwhelmed and anxious. Completely drained emotionally. “Come here.” He whispered.  

Steve opened his eyes and looked at Danny, who offered his arms. Steve smiled softly, his tears continuing, as he crumbled into Danny’s arms. Danny squeezed him and held onto him as they sat there and listened to the rain. 

The rain had a calming effect on Steve. That, and being wrapped up in Danny’s arms, made him feel loads better. He had slowly stopped his tears and felt a drowsy spell overcome him as he grasped onto Danny. After his sniffing stopped, he let out a small yawn.  

“How about you sleep?” Danny suggested. 

“No, I’m okay. I need to stay awake incase they come.” Steve murmured shifted slightly, sitting up away from Danny. 

“Hey. . .you’ll know if they come. You need rest. After that change, I bet you’re tired.” Danny said as he scooted closer. “Come here.” 

Steve gave in. He was tired and wanted rest. Hell, he was exhausted after the events of that day. He closed his eyes as he met Danny’s chest. “Okay, just for a little bit.” He murmured before drifting away to a dreamless sleep. 

Danny grinned as his nose met Steve’s head and he inhaled. _Blackberry. . .why does his hair smell like blackberries? Oh, right the bath._

Danny’s chest clenched in realization. The bath was were he confessed everything to the dog. . .well, to Steve. And Steve had said earlier that he had heard everything. 

_He heard. . .Everything. And that he feels the same way._

The shock waned away to nothing and he grinned. Steve felt the same way. Danny could feel heat rise in his cheeks as his thoughts wandered to the kiss. He looked over to the mouth of the cave and watched as the rain fell loudly outside. _What does this mean for us?_ Danny wondered as he looked back down at Steve. The man was breathing easily with closed eyes as he rested against Danny’s chest. Danny’s mind drifted to the dream he had been having the few previous nights. _The dog. . .Steve on the table. . .us in bed. . ._ Danny smiled lightly as he shook his head. _If Steve had been on that table. . .and he had been the dog. . .what does that mean for that final scene?_ Danny wondered. Danny shook his head. _I need to focus on getting us out of here. Not on us. . .at least, not right now._

Danny felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He shifted and carefully pulled it out of his pocket without disturbing Steve. 

He looked at the caller I.D. More relief flooded through him. “Chin!” 

“Oh, my god, Danny! What the hell? Are you okay?” Chin spoke heatedly on the phone. 

Danny chuckled softly. “Yeah, I’m okay.” 

“Man, when you didn’t call back, I thought. . .I thought you were in trouble.” 

“Chin, I’m okay. You need to get us out of here.”

“Did you find Steve?!” 

Danny held the phone to his ear. He felt emotional. He did find Steve. It was relieving to actually know that Steve was momentarily safe. He swallowed, keeping his feelings in check. “Yeah.” 

“Oh, Danny! Thank god, is he okay?!” 

Danny bit his lower lip as he glanced at the man that had passed out on him. “For the most part, I think so.” 

“Wel-how-what happened?” Chin struggled to get out. “Where was he?” 

Danny licked his lower lip. “Um. . .it’s kinda a long story. In a way. . .I’m not even entirely sure. He’s sleeping right now. He’s completely drained and. . .I think he’s in a lot of pain.” 

“Oh. . .um. . .where are you?” 

“You remember the coordinates you gave me earlier? We’re about 2 miles North from there.”

“Hold on, stay on the line.” Chin murmured. “I’m just looking up the coordinates from your phone.” 

Danny stayed on the line and waited. He glanced outside. It looked and sounded very windy and rainy. 

“Okay. We have your location. Stay there, we’ll have help out to you.” 

“How long? The weather. . .it doesn’t look good, man.”

“Where are you? Are you in a shelter?” 

“A cave actually. It’s staying pretty dry.” Danny looked around him. 

“Okay. I don’t know. We’ll try to figure something out and see if people can fly in right now. The rangers pulled out 30 minutes ago.” 

“There gonna say no with the bird, Chin. You know that. I can’t move. . .we’re sitting ducks out here, man.” Danny murmured. 

“Just. . .let me see what I can do. I’ll call you back.” Chin said. 

Danny smiled softly. “Okay.” 

“Stay safe, bruh.” Chin said. Danny could hear a smile on his voice. 

“I will.” Danny said. 

“Later.” 

“Later.” 

Danny hung up and set his phone back in his pocket. He shifted only slightly in his seat and settled against the wall of rock in the cave. 

Danny’s stomach jumped as he heard voices outside. He held onto Steve as he listened. They sounded close. He glanced down at his waist and reached down to pull out his gun. He cocked it and kept it near him as he continued to hear the faint voices. Danny took in a deep breath and kept his eyes focused on the mouth of the cave as he continued to hear the voices. The elation in his chest was all he needed to know that he was prepared to die trying to protect Steve.


	13. Chapter 13

Danny jerked himself awake as he heard rain pounding down outside. He was exhausted and his body hurt. Especially his hip and his knee. He had woken up from his slumber a few times because Chin had called him back three times. 

As Danny had predicted, Chin was waiting to hear from one of the search and rescue departments on the island. He was constantly being told that the conditions were too dangerous for a helicopter or a squad to go out in and they advised that Chin and Kono listen to their advice and not go out as well. 

Danny knew from Chin’s tone that he was frustrated and tired. Danny had reassured him that everything would be okay. 

Danny sat quietly in the cave as Steve leaned on him. He listened to the soft wisps coming from Steve’s nose. He looked over at the crevice. It was still dark outside. He took in a breath and swallowed as he glanced at Steve. He had not moved for most of the night, even when he had talked to Chin. 

Danny tapped Steve’s shoulder. “Steve. . .Steve, man?” He said in a low voice.

Steve didn’t stir when he had tapped him or when he had called.  

“Steve?” Danny said louder and taped his shoulder again. 

“Hmmm?!” Steve hummed loudly and sat up slightly. 

“Sorry, man, but you need to get up and walk around a bit.” Danny said to him. 

Steve let out a small groan like noise. 

“Come on, Steve. You hungry? I have some food.” Danny said, trying to bribe him. 

Steve opened his eyes and looked up at him, moving off his shoulder. 

Danny gazed at the tired eyes. “Damn, you look exhausted.”

Steve chuckled softly. “I am.” He winced as he leaned forward went to stand up. 

Danny quickly moved to stand up on his feet and helped Steve up. 

Wincing his way through the aches and pains that jabbed at his body, Steve stood up fully and stiffly took a few steps around the cave. 

Danny went to his pack and pulled out the food he had packed the previous night before their excursion. 

Steve wandered about for a bit, attempting to stretch and work out sore and stiff muscles. He then sat down and breathed heavily. _God, I’m so tired._  

“Here.” He moved to Steve and handed him a container of chicken. 

Steve breathed heavily still. “Chicken?” 

Danny nodded. “Yeah. . .sorry. I ate half of my sandwich last night. You can have the other half.” Danny said as he knelt down to get into his bag and pull out the sandwich. 

Steve shook his head tiredly. “No. . .it’s okay.” He said slowly. 

“Nah, here.” Danny unwrapped part of it. He took the box of chicken out of Steve’s hand and placed the sandwich in it. 

Steve smiled softly and took the sandwich. He unwrapped it, brought it to his mouth, took a bite, and chewed. 

Danny smiled as he watched the man eat. He settled on the ground in front of Steve. “So. . .you were, like, out last night.” 

Steve nodded as he chewed. 

“Did you hear me talking to Chin on the phone?” 

Steve shook his head. “I was pretty out. It was like the night when I changed. I didn’t hear anything. . .I didn’t dream. . .I was out.” 

Danny bit his lower lip. “Steve. . .we need to think about how we’re going to explain this to people.” 

“We’ll tell them the truth.”

“We can’t tell them what really happened. Do you know what that would mean for. . .everyone?” Danny said. 

Steve looked at him like he was demented. “So you’re suggesting. . .we lie to everyone we know?” 

“Dude, think about it. If it were to get out that there is a chemical combination that can change your DNA, imagine how people would react. Good and bad people. . .good people freak out and bad people would want to get their hands on it.”

“Hey, how do you know that? What if good people would want to get their hands on it and bad guys want to stay away from it?” 

“Okay, well either way. . .it would create hysteria, yes?” 

Steve shrugged. “If it was released to the media, but if we keep the compound under wraps, we’d be okay. . .only Dr. Young knows that compound and I’m sure he wouldn’t spout it about. He’s a good guy.” 

“Oh, so good he turned you into a dog?” Danny refuted. 

“Danny, he was being blackmailed into doing this. He didn’t want to do it. He told me so.” 

“Oh, like how I want to pummel you right now? Just because I say it, doesn’t make it true.” 

“Danny, I think I’m a good judge of character.” 

“Oh, why do you think that?” 

“Well, I picked you for a partner, didn’t I?” 

Danny stopped and stared into the man’s eyes. 

Steve stared back. “Aren’t I a good judge of character from that?” He asked honestly. 

Danny couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty for his badgering questions as he stared at the innocent face. He smiled softly at him. Then he rolled his eyes as a small hue crept in his cheeks. “Yes.” He answered with a small grin, knowing that he sounded defeated. 

Steve grinned. “Not just as a partner, but. . .” 

Danny looked back at him. 

“Also as a really, really amazing friend.” He paused. “Someone who. . .is honest with me and is there when I need him.” He finished. 

Danny smiled at him. “Alright, alright. You got me. You’re a good judge of character.” He admitted chuckling slightly. 

Steve grinned at him and chuckled as he looked down at his sandwich. His face fell slightly. “You think that it will translate over to my romance life?” 

“Oh, this isn’t a ‘do you think I’m pretty?’ kind of question is it?” Danny asked quickly, pulling a grin from Steve. 

“Danny-” Steve started as he shook his head. 

“Look. . .Steve. . .” Danny murmured as he shifted in his seat. “If I know. . .anything about you. . .I know that you will have luck in romance. Kay?” 

Steve looked at him, waiting for him to say more. 

Danny shrugged. “You are a great guy, Steve. You’ll find someone.” 

Steve hesitated. “When I do find someone. . .what should I do?” 

Danny looked over at him. He could see a hint of dreaminess and mischievous in his eyes. “Um. . .maybe tell them. . .I know _I_ like honesty in a person. Hell, I’d admire a person for speaking their mind. Especially in cases like that. . .where you’re left vulnerable.” He said, glancing over at the mouth of the cave. The world outside was becoming lighter. Only slightly, but Danny knew that now, it was morning. The sun was rising or had risen. While it continued to rain, light still made its way through and around the dark clouds. 

Steve hesitated again. “Danny. . .” He wrapped the sandwich and placed it on a flat rock next to him. 

Danny looked at him. “Hmmm?” 

“Have-have you found someone?” 

Danny was surprised by the question. “I think you’d know if I found someone.” 

Steve was getting fed up with the situation. He knew Danny liked him. Danny knew he liked him, so why were they skipping around the subject? _Oh, what the hell?_ “Look, Danny. Let’s stop. We. . .we like each other, right? At least, I-I know _you_ like me. And _I_ like you, so why are we doing this? Going back and forth like this?” 

Danny was stunned by Steve’s words. He hadn’t expected him to be so. . .blunt. “Wel-I-whe. . .”

Steve leaned forward closer to him. “Come here.” He whispered. He placed a hand on Danny’s neck, pulling him closer to his body. 

Danny hesitated at Steve’s movements, shocked again at the man’s straightforwardness. He took in a breath. “Steve, I-” 

“Just come here.” Steve whispered gently. He closed his eyes and softly placed his lips against Danny’s. 

Danny, still, was stunned. It had happened so quickly, and yet. . .so slowly as well. Danny’s mind raced as he felt the lips and warm air that seeped from Steve’s nose that was planted next to his. _How is this happening? Why is this happening? What is going to happen as a result of this? Oh, god. . .he’s so good. . ._ Steve’s gentle lips had a way of taking him away from his thoughts. 

Danny placed a hand on Steve’s thigh, slightly shifting himself to move closer to Steve’s body. 

It was heavy. It was hot. It was passionate. 

Steve made a point to make Danny feel like he was the only man in the world. With his hands on Danny’s cheeks, slowly moving down his body as they kissed, it sent shivers through Danny. 

Danny kept Steve close, placing a gentle hand on his hip and applying a soft pressure, pulling him closer. He allowed Steve to explore his mouth with his tongue. He gently sucked on it and ran his own tongue along it. 

Steve slid his hand down Danny’s arm and pulled from his lips and stared into his eyes. 

Danny stared back, feeling slightly unstable from the kiss. 

Steve continued his gaze but just shook his head slightly. “I. . .” He stopped and dropped his gaze. He looked at his hand that held Danny’s. He didn’t know what to say. He had thought about this before, but. . .never in this circumstance. There was no where to run or hide. . .he felt vulnerable. 

Danny sensed a slightly uncomfortableness in Steve. He knew the man had taken a big risk. He knew he had taken his own risk. “Steve?” 

Steve looked up at him. 

Danny paused before smiling slightly. “Um. . .” He started. 

Suddenly, Danny’s phone buzzed in his pocket and began to ring loudly. He pulled it out and looked at Steve. “It’s Chin.”

“Answer it.” He said quickly. 

Danny answered the call. “Hello? Chin?” 

“Hey, bruh, howzit?” 

“Good. Any news?” 

“Yes. The winds died down a bit, so now they’re attempting to send a bird out your way. They have your coordinates but they want me to stay on the line with you.” 

“Okay.” Danny said. “Any team coming out to shut these guys down? 

“No. Trails are too muddy.”

“Damn.” Danny muttered. 

“Sorry Danny. We can get back out there as soon as possible, but. . .like the helicopter, only so many allowed out in weather like this. . .especially rescue ones.” 

“I know.” Danny sighed. 

There was a few moments of silence. 

“How’s our guy?” 

Danny looked over at Steve, who was inspecting his sandwich that had dirt all over the wrapper. He carefully peeled back the wrapper and took another bite of the sandwich. Danny had to grin at the SEAL’s focus on the sandwich. “He’s good right now.” He replied as he walked over to the entrance of the cave. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. He’s eating. I’d say he’s still trying to get through the events that have happened to him.” Danny said. 

“Hey, man. . .what did happen? You just. . .find him in a cave or something?” 

_Fuck._ Danny glanced at Steve. 

Steve looked up at Danny, sensing that something was off. He furrowed his eyebrows. 

Danny sighed. _Steve’s right. We can’t keep this from Chin or Kono. Let alone, other people that should know._ “Well. . .it’s a long story. . .” 

“Hey, I got nothing but time.” Chin said, a smile on his voice. 

Danny smiled weakly. “Well. . .what happened was. . .” 

Danny went into the details of what had happened. He explained from what he remembered everything up to coming to this area, with Steve. . .as a dog, and then ‘finding’ Steve, as a person. He disclosed information of everything he knew about the events that happened to Steve, from the past 96 hours or so. Everything. . .but the details that made Danny uneasy to discuss. Especially with someone who was not Steve. Danny had finished and listened to Chin’s reaction over the phone. 

“Damn. . .well. . .Danny, I have, like, a bunch of questions.” 

“I can honestly say, that’s all I know right now. If you have questions, you’re gonna have to ask Steve eventually. But. . .” He glanced at Steve and turned away to walk to the entrance of the cave. “Take it easy. . .he’s freaked out about it. I’ll ask him stuff, but I’m not gonna push it, okay?” Danny said in a quieter tone. 

“Oh. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. I’d be freaked out too if I turned into a dog. . .and then back in to a human.”

“Yeah.” Danny murmured. Danny took a step out of the cave. “You are surprisingly taking this really well.” 

Chin chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m about to freak when I tell Kono.” 

“Well, to be honest, I. . .I didn’t think you’d believe me.” 

“Why wouldn’t I believe you?” 

Danny bit his lower lip. “Well, you guys weren’t too keen on believing me when I first said something was wrong.” 

Danny heard Chin sigh on the other line. “Look, Danny, I’m not going to say I was in the right by saying that. We should’ve listened to you. Especially when you brought it up for the second, third, and fourth time.” He paused. “I’m really sorry Danny.” 

Danny skewed his lips to one side. “Thanks, Chin.” 

“Yeah, of course. I hope you know I mean it. I can’t imagine how frustrating it was.” 

Danny smiled softly. “Eh, I work with McGarrett. . .imagine how frustrating _that_ is.” 

Chin laughed at Danny’s words. “Hey, so we put a quick message out to the media, asking about any suspicious looking activity in Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park between last Thursday and now. We had a few people call in, but one especially seemed to have an interesting story. She said she had been hiking with her boyfriend and they had seen a group of four people. They had various articles of items to cover their faces from bandanas and sunglasses to thick mosquito netting. She said the thing that was off putting was that they had no backpacks or water bottles with them and they had these rags that hung out of 2 of the men’s back pockets. She also mentioned that once they had passed them on parallel trails, she looked back and saw one person deviate from the group, and take a different trail. She said she wore a really dark jacket. She was fairly sure it was black.” 

Danny tilted his head. “Hmm. Interesting. Well, we’ll see what Steve remembers from that first day.” In the distance, he could hear a soft rumbling. He turned to the direction of it. “Do you know how close the search and rescue is?” 

“Um. . .let me check, hold on.” 

Danny waited as he still listened to the low rumbling. 

“Uuuummm. . .it looks like they’re close. . .maybe like a quarter mile?” 

Danny nodded. “Cool. Tell ‘em I hear them.” He chuckled. 

“Yeah, I think we’re okay now. Do you need anything right now?” 

“A warm bed and a good meal, that’s what I need.” 

“That’s the Danny we know! We’ll get you home. Call me back if they pass you by.” 

“I will.” Danny said. 

“Kay, later!” 

“Later!” 

Danny hung up and walked back into the cave. “Alright, there’s a search and rescue overhead. I need to make sure they see us.” He looked in his bag. 

“Anything red or white?” Steve asked as he looked into the bag. 

“White t-shirt.” Danny said as he pulled it out and walked quickly outside. He searched the sky momentarily and waved the white shirt as a large helicopter flew close by. The helicopter passed by, but Danny knew they saw him. He watched as they turned around and headed back to the cave entrance. “Alright man, I think they’re hovering and ready for us. You ready?” 

Steve nodded. He stood up and moved slowly to the cave entrance.

Danny helped him up and moved slowly with him. “You okay?” 

Steve winced. “I’m real stiff.” He breathed out. 

“I’m sorry.” Danny murmured. 

Steve looked at him and smiled. “Thank you. And thank you for. . .saving me.” 

Danny smiled softly at him. “I wouldn’t say I saved you.” 

“But you did. I would be dead if you hadn’t invited me inside that night.”

Danny thought back to the night he had invited Steve, the dog, into his house. He continued to smile lightly. “Let’s get you back home.” 

They were able to climb into the helicopter and were flown out of the park. Search and rescue brought them out of the park to the search and rescue station. After giving a few hours of giving statements, they were ready to go home. They left the few men and women, that were taking their statements, in confusion about the events that had happened. 

They got into Danny’s car and Danny drove them to his house. 

“You can shower and stuff here before we head out to get your truck. Hank at Search and Rescue mentioned they had the city tow a blue truck.” 

“Oh, great. Now I gotta pay for that. . .and it wasn’t even my fault.” Steve murmured as he brushed his arm against Danny’s on the partnering arm rest between the two of them. 

Danny reached over and patted his arm. “Eh, we’ll get it sorted. You won’t lose money on being a victim.” 

Steve glanced his arm which Danny had patted seconds previously. “You think so?” He asked absentmindedly. 

“Hey. . .even if this doesn’t hold up in court, come on. . .we have an ‘I owe you’ with Governor Denning. He’ll hook you up.” 

Steve stared at the man’s arm that rested on the arm rest. He slowly moved his hand to Danny’s arm, his heart beating loudly in his chest. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He said as he looked out his window. 

Danny rose his eyebrows and glanced down at the hand that rested easily on his forearm just above his wrist. Danny scooted his elbow towards his body and felt Steve’s hand fall down his arm to his hand. He took a chance and gripped onto Steve’s fingers. He kept his eyes on the road and his other hand on the steering wheel. 

Steve felt Danny’s hands grasp around his fingers. He grinned as he continued to look out the window. He bit the right side of his lower lip. He settled his head against the head rest, letting out a small sigh.

Danny saw this out of the corner of his eye. “Tired?”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Sleeping in a cave isn’t the best.” 

Danny chuckled. “Yeah. We’ll get you to my house, get your truck, and then you can get home and get some sleep.” 

“You got anything to eat at your place?” 

“Yeah. I can make you something.” Danny said as he turned onto his street.

“Mmmm. That would be great. I’m starved.” Steve said. 

Danny smiled as he brushed his thumb along Steve’s fingers. Things were looking better than they were a few hours ago.


	14. Chapter 14

They had arrived back at Danny’s home and Danny had sent Steve off to the shower. . .after, of course, Steve had requested something to eat. 

Danny finished fixing Steve’s request of a BLT for dinner. _So glad Steve has an appetite. And I’m glad things are back to normal. . .well for the most part. Steve and I still need to talk about last night. . .and this morning._ He poured ice water into a tall glass and set it next to the plate with the sandwich, some fruit, and potato chips. He looked up as he heard footsteps. 

“Danny. . .” 

“Hey, Steve. I have your sandwich ready.” He said with a smile as he washed his hands in the sink. 

“Danny. . .”

“I thought I may have burnt the bacon, but I saved it before I did.” Danny said with a small smile. 

“Danny. . .” 

Danny looked up at the weak sound of the Steve’s voice. He was shocked to see how pale Steve looked. Dark purple half circles sat under his eyes. “Steve?” He asked with alarm. 

“Danny, I-I don’t feel very good.” Steve said weakly as he placed a hand on the counter. His other hand grasped onto his towel. He felt like crap. He could barely stand in the shower when it hit him. It seemed like it was an instant hit, too. Light was blinding and images blurred in and out of focus. Sound went in and out, magnifying and softening. He felt like he was going to be sick. He had thrown up in the toilet after he stepped out of the shower. He had stumbled his way to Danny’s kitchen with a towel still wrapped around his waist. 

“Steve, you look. . .” He crossed over to Steve. He grabbed onto Steve’s upper arm. He felt really hot. He moved a hand to Steve’s forehead and his cheek. “Holy shit, babe, you’re burning up.”

Steve looked up at the wall. The room seemed to be spinning. Everything seemed blurry and out of focus. “Danny. . .I-I don’t know what’s, um. . .what’s going on.” Steve couldn’t think straight as he slurred out his speech, trying to stay focused. 

“You didn’t fall down at all, did you? Hit your head?” 

Steve tilted his head looking up like he was under the influence of some strong drugs. “No. . .” He said simply. His head was spinning as he looked up and around. 

“Babe, we need you to get you to the hospital.” Danny grabbed Steve and moved him into his living room. 

“No, Danny. I. . .I just need to, um. . .I need to sleep. . .” Steve’s words came out slurred and almost unclear.

“No, Steve. We’re going.” 

“Danny. . .I’m just. . .tired. . .” Steve slurred again as the world spun around him. 

“Steve, no. We are going.” He said firmly. 

Steve gave in. “If we’re going. . .I’m not going. . .” He paused trying to collect his thoughts. “Need clothes.” He slurred.

Danny sighed as he grabbed a near by bin full of magazines. He dumped the magazines on the coffee table. “Fine. Give me a sec. Sit down and don’t move. Here.” He placed the bin in Steve’s arms as he sat down. “Hurl into that if you feel like you’re gonna throw up.” 

Steve wrapped his arms around the bin and kept it close to his chest. He felt his esophagus shorten and his stomach muscles contracted in pain. Steve moved his face into the small bucket like bin and threw up a bunch of unidentifiable contents. _Oh, god. . ._ He felt it again and once more purged into the bin. He breathed heavily as he paused, waiting to see if he’d do it again. When he didn’t, he spat into the bin, and tilted his head back. He felt extremely tired and painful. His insides burned and his torso and back hurt like he had been punched and stabbed repeatedly. His eyes closed and he tried to keep his breathing uniformed. 

Danny ran into his room. He pulled out a pair of sweats and grabbed a hoodie. He ran back to Steve. “Okay, hey, babe. Here’s some stuff you can wear. Come on.” He took the bin and placed it on the ground. He grimaced at the contents of the bin. “Threw up, huh?” 

Steve slowly nodded. “Twice.” 

“Okay. Here you go. Let me see your arms.”  

Steve used a lot of effort to lean forward. He let Danny help him put the clothes on, too sick and dizzy to care. 

“Alright, come on, babe.” Danny said helping him up and out of the house. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After about 45 minutes, Steve and Danny were, finally, sitting quietly in a room. Steve had a catheter placed in his left arm and there was fluid mix of many things running into his system. He was hooked up to oxygen and the pulse ox machine, due to him being in respiratory distress when they walked in. 

It was frightening to listen to Steve hyperventilate next to him as he half carried him to the front desk of the hospital. A bunch of people came out to help Danny and Steve. A registered nurse began firing questions at Danny, who tried his best to answer all that he knew. It was terrifying to see Steve being placed on a gurney and one of the nurses place an oxygen mask on him. 

After they had stabilized Steve in a room, Danny talked to three different doctors, explaining to them what had happened before they arrived at the hospital. . .in terms of what led up to the events of Steve vomiting and looking like he was drugged up in his kitchen. Danny avoided mentioning the fact that less than 24 hours ago, Steve was a dog. 

The doctors had drawn blood and were testing it on emergency in the hospital at the moment. Danny waited anxiously in the hospital room. _It’s not poisoning, it’s not something he ate. . .what could this be?_ Danny continued his thoughts as people walked by outside of the room. _I hope it’s not some. . .bad reaction to that antidote. That would’ve been the only thing that was out of the ordinary. . .but considering that the creators had tested it before, according to Steve, what could it be?_ Danny chewed on his lower lip. _Could it have something to do with the switch back? He never had any issues when he was a dog. Of course, that was only for a few days. . .but a change for a few days is nothing compared to the antidote he was given. . .maybe only less than 24 hours ago? Maybe it’s the antidote. . .Oh, what the hell am I talking about? How the hell is any of this real?_

“Danny.” 

Danny was brought back to reality by Steve’s weak call to him. Danny sat up from his leaning over position. He placed a hand on Steve’s hand. “Hey. What’s up?” 

Steve swallowed as he went to pull his oxygen mask down. “Danny. . .” He stopped for a moment. 

“Hey, keep it on, okay?” Danny murmured as he stopped Steve from pulling the mask off. He placed it back on Steve’s face and grasped Steve’s hand that was trying to fiddle with the mask. “I can hear you alright. What’s up?” Danny could see the fear grip the man. Tears began to form in Steve’s eyes and his jaw clenched. He squeezed Steve’s hand. 

“Danny, I’m scared.” Steve whispered out before shuddering in a breath. 

Danny raised a hand to the man’s hair line and gave it a small stroke. “What are you scared of, babe?”

Steve closed his eyes, tears falling down the sides of his face, towards his ears. He swallowed again. “I just. . .I don’t want to stop living yet.”

Danny let out a small scoff. “Then, don’t stop living, babe.” 

“I mean. . .I don’t want to die, Danny.” Steve shuddered in another breath and he closed his eyes as more tears formed. “Not yet.” He added in a small whisper.

Danny bit his lower lip. It scared Danny to think that the man was so seriously considering that he was dying. After a moment, he spoke again. “Steve, you are in some of the best care here. These doctors are some of the best in the state.” He paused. “They’ll figure out what’s going on. And you’ll be okay.” 

“How can you be sure?” Steve rushed out. He sniffed and weakly went to wipe the tears away. 

Danny smiled weakly at him. He reached to Steve’s face and wiped some tears off Steve’s face.  “Because whatever is going on around you, you find a way to get through hard times.” He paused. “That’s who _you_ are.”

Steve sniffed. He thought he could hold it together, but he couldn’t. He teared up once more and bit his lower lip. “Danny.” He whispered before more tears fell and he sucked in uneven breaths of air. 

Danny bit his own lower lip. “I am so sorry you have to go through this.” 

Steve closed his eyes tight as more tears flooded out and he gasped out a cry, bringing his empty hand to his face to cover it. 

Danny scooted closer to the hospital bed. “Come here.” He grasped a hold of Steve’s hand that held to covered his face. “Come here, buddy.” 

Steve struggled to sit up, but did his best to rise his upper body and inch closer to Danny. He leaned into Danny. His head fell against the man’s shoulder and rested there. Danny wrapped his arms around Steve’s back. “There you go.” He felt Steve’s hand grasp onto his shirt and his other arm around Danny’s waist. Steve gasped out a cry into Danny’s shoulder and let the tears stream down his face on to Danny’s shirt. “I know. I know. This is hard. We’ll get this sorted, though, okay?” 

Steve could only gasp out breaths and sob into Danny’s neck. It was slightly awkward, what with the oxygen mask still on his face, but nonetheless, he held close to Danny. He brought his forehead down to Danny’s shoulder, resting it there. Anxiety and fear flooded his mind about everything that was going on and everything that could happen. It was worrisome and definitely terrifying. 

“You’ll be okay, Steve. Shhh. You’re gonna be alright. Everything’s going to be okay.” Danny whispered to him. He rubbed the man’s back gently, like he did with Grace when she had awakened from a bad nightmare. Unfortunately for Steve, this was a nightmare. One he wouldn’t be able to wake from. Danny felt at a loss with how to help Steve and how to make him feel better and. . .safe. The man was everything to him. _He’s probably exhausted. He’s in pain and he’s scared. He still hasn’t eaten since this morning. . .this morning?_ Danny wondered as glanced at the room’s clock. It read 10:30 at night. At least it wasn’t midnight. . .even though it felt that way.  He listened as Steve’s cries and gasping sobs lessened. He felt more weight on his shoulder. Steve was probably falling asleep against him. 

Danny took in a big breath. This was going to be difficult. _What was the name of the man Steve was telling me about? Dr. . .Dr. . .Dr. Young! Robert Young. I need to find him. . .he’ll know what to do. He concocted the antidote and the poison. If this is about Steve’s change back to a human, which I am more than sure it is, Young can help us._

A nurse that came in and helped Danny gently place Steve back against the hospital bed. Danny gazed at the man as he settled in his bed, only tilting his head one way once before breathing steadily and settling his hand gently against the bed. He gently squeezed Steve’s hand before giving his regards to the nurse and leaving to allow Steve to sleep. 

He walked out of the building and pulled out his phone.

“Chin? Kono with you still? Good. Yeah, I’m sorry for interrupting your guys’s evening. I, um. . .I need to tell you guys something. . .it’s about Steve. . .”


	15. Chapter 15

Two days later, after hours of around the clock work, the doctors were still unable to figure out what was going on with Steve. Being as frustrated as he was, Danny still continued to be pleasant and civil with the doctors who continued to show up in the room with no answers. 

With uncertainty still clouding everyone’s minds, Danny stayed with Steve as much as he could. However, with the lack of ideas and things coming up at HQ, Danny made a decision to go out and help. As much as he didn’t want to, Danny explained to Steve that he had to go see Kono and Chin. 

“Hun, I don’t want to leave. . .and if you don’t want me to leave, I won’t, but, right now, we need to find those people that have Dr. Young.” Danny said. 

Steve nodded tiredly. “I know.” 

Danny bit his lower lip. 

“Danny, I know you need to go. I wish you could stay here, but. . .Dr. Young needs us. . .he needs you guys.” Steve murmured weakly. 

Danny gazed at him. _And we need him. . ._

“And. . .” Steve paused. “I really think we need him.” He paused again. “I’ll be okay. I need to sleep anyway. I’m tired.” Steve smiled at him. 

Danny smiled weakly at him. “Okay. I’ll be back in a while, okay?” 

Steve nodded. 

Danny stood from his chair and leaned over Steve’s bed. He kissed Steve’s forehead. “Bye, babe.” 

Steve smiled at the feel of the man’s lips on his forehead. “Bye, Danno.” 

Danny smiled at him as he brushed his hand along Steve’s cheek. He swiftly walked out of the hospital room and down the hall. He exited and walked to his car. He sat in the driver’s seat, an overwhelming sense of uncertainty came over him as he sat in his car. He stared at the steering wheel as tears formed. 

_What if Steve doesn’t get better? What if we can’t find Dr. Young?_ Danny’s throat formed a lump. He tried to swallow it away, but it didn’t work. Tears spilled over his rims. 

_What’s gonna happen to him?_ Danny thought as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He took in a deep breath. He gripped the steering wheel and turned on the car. 

_I have to think positively. We’ll find Dr. Young and we’ll get this sorted out._ He thought. Even though he was trying to think positively, there was a still doubt drifting in the back of his mind. 

Danny arrived at HQ. He walked to the office and found Kono and Chin and the tech table. He had walked through the doors and the both of them turned with sympathetic looks on their faces. 

“Danny, how is he?” Kono asked immediately. 

“What did the doctor say?” Chin asked after her. 

Danny thought he could keep it together but slowly, the tears formed again. He swallowed, trying to keep himself in check. “Um. . .” His voice wavered as he took in a shaky breath. 

“Oh, Danny.” Kono murmured as she moved to him. 

Chin did the same. 

A few tears came out as Kono put her arms around Danny. Chin patted his shoulder as Kono hugged the shorter man. Danny wiped his eyes before either cousin could see.

Danny pulled from Kono and looked to Chin. Chin offered his arms and Danny wrapped his arms around the muscular man. Danny pulled and sniffed, rubbing his nose against the back of his hand. “Um. . .he’s stable and resting. Whatever is going on is draining him greatly so he rests frequently.” He paused. “The doctors that are over seeing him said that they aren’t sure yet.” He sniffed again. 

“Oh, Danny. They’ll figure this out.” 

“Yeah. The researchers at that hospital work hard. They’ll find something.” 

Danny wanted to believe them. “I know.” He murmured. “But they’re running out of options. And they’re not really sure what’s wrong with him.”

“Did you tell them about. . .Steve being a. . .dog?” 

“No, of course I didn’t.” 

“Why, Danny?” 

Danny looked at Kono incredulously. “Kono, you can’t be serious.” He paused as he glared at her. “I can’t tell them that. . .he turned into a dog and then switched back. They’ll send me straight across the street to the psychiatric hospital.” 

“They won’t.” 

“Oh, yeah. Because Chin was just a duck last week, you were a dolpin yesterday, and I think I heard something about me turning into a cat next month.” Danny said with immense sarcasm. 

“Danny, come on.”

“No, you come on.” Danny retorted back. “I can’t tell them. No one can.” He paused looking from one cousin to the other. 

Chin and Kono stared at him and then looked at each other. 

“We need to find this man.” Danny said to them. “Dr. Robert Young. Steve claims he’s being held captive by the people that abducted him.”

“Right. . .Danny. . .we found little information on the man.” Kono admitted. 

“Yeah, he’s out of Virginia. . .graduated from Virginia Tech. . .he’s done a lot of medical research. Nothing major, only one thesis. It was about theories for cures for bringing patients back to their original states before illnesses. . .or something. . .I wasn’t too sure about its intent, the writing’s seemed a little rambly and hard to understand. Which also explains why it may have not received the reception it should have had, because. . .there is not a whole lot of comments about it.” 

Danny took in all the information. “What’s he doing in Hawaii if he’s out of Virginia?” 

“His flying information said business.” 

Danny licked his lower lip. “Okay. Do we know any information on the business he was conducting?” 

“We called his wife. She was quite upset and worried. She said that he came out here for business and research with a group of researchers. He wasn’t entirely sure about the group of researchers, like, who they were and their credentials. She’s worried that he hasn’t contacted her in a while. And she’s also concerned that we were on the phone.” 

Danny nodded. “Okay. We’ll have to remember to keep her updated.” He paused. “We have to find him.” 

“Danny. . .you know that it’s been, like, 2 days since you and Steve were out in the park.” Chin said.

“I know.” Danny said. 

“So you know the likelihood of them just. . .staying where they are is next to nothing.” Chin pointed out.“Well, I wouldn’t say that.” Kono murmured. 

“Pretty damn near there, though, wouldn’t you say? I don’t think there’s any chance that they stayed at the area where Danny found them.” 

Kono and Chin continued while Danny’s thoughts about Steve clouded his mind. _He’s not going to get better unless we find Young. Young knows the poison. . .he knows the antidote. . .he knows. . .he knows. . ._

“We need to find him!” Danny spoke with force, startling Chin and Kono. He looked up at them. “Look, we need to find Robert Young.” He paused. “Steve. . .needs to be okay.” He paused again and crossed over to the table. He brought up a map of the park and search around the area. “According to Steve, the man I’m talking about was last seen in this area. When we were at the warehouse, there were a pair of women that were talking about Dr. Young. They mentioned people were watching him. I don’t know where, but it couldn’t have been far from that area.” 

“Danny. . .how do you know that they’re still in the park?” Chin asked. 

“I don’t. But that’s our best bet right now, wouldn’t you say?” Danny responded. 

“Look, Chin and I can take a group and start a search in the park. There’s a possibility that they’re else where on the island.” 

“So. . .what? Check airports?” Danny asked, slightly annoyed. 

“Airports, hospitals, any video feed that you can get into that may have Dr. Robert Young on it.” 

“Okay. And you guys will search the park?”

“At least that area.” Chin said. 

“We’ll keep each other updated?” Kono asked. 

Danny nodded. 

“Okay. Let’s go, Chin.” Kono murmured as she headed to door. 

“Later Danny.” Chin said as he hurried after Kono. 

Danny was left alone in the bull pen. He turned to the tech table. _Okay, Young. . .where are you?_ Danny thought as he typed in his name into facial rec. His name popped up with a picture of his face and Danny sent the face to another program that held the city’s traffic light and public road cameras. Danny typed in information in a window, arranging the program to check the footage from 200 hours previous to the present moment. 

As soon as Danny set it, a new window popped up. A small bar moved slowly across the window. _3 hours left. . .ugh, great. . .I could do calls. . ._ Danny thought as he pulled up a list of hospitals in the area. _24 hospitals. . .okay. . .gotta start somewhere. . ._ Danny thought as he pulled out his phone and dialed the first hospital on the list. _This has to work. . ._


	16. Chapter 16

Danny had now put in hours into looking for Robert Young. Nothing showed in the facial recognition with feeds over the island at public places as well as the airport within the past 200 hours. Nothing came up with calling 16 out of the 24 hospitals.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Danny said. _Oh, my god!_ Danny thought, frustration overwhelming him as he hung up with the last hospital. _Nothing! Four hours, and nothing to show for it!_ Danny gritted his teeth and sighed heavily, closing his eyes and moving his head to face the ground for a moment. He shook his head and opened his eyes, staring at the floor. _There’s gotta be something more._

Just as he thought it, his cell phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. “Kono? What’s up?” 

“Hey, Danny. We found him.” 

Danny’s heart pounded quickly. Kono sounded serious. “Y-you found him. How is he?” 

“He’s. . .I’m sure he’s been better. He has several gashes, bruises to the face, scraps and cuts everywhere. . .very dehydrated. . .but after a few hours of hospitalization, he should be okay.” 

Relief overwhelmed Danny. “Oh, thank god.” 

“Yeah, he was pretty shaken up. I would be, too.” Kono murmured. 

“Did he say anything?” Danny asked. 

Danny heard Kono’s hesitation. “He said he didn’t want to be taken. He said if they found out that he’s gone. . .they’d hurt his family.” 

Danny’s chest clenched in sympathy for the man. “Threat of life? Wife and kid?” 

“Wife and only son.” 

Danny shook his head. “Damn.” 

“We did take 2 men into custody who were, like, guarding him? Or watching him? Maybe with questioning, we’ll get answers.” Kono said. “One of the men seems like he’ll crack easy.” 

“The easier, the better.” Danny said. 

“Yeah. Well. . .Chin and I are heading to the hospital to check Dr. Young in and. . .you know Chuck, right? He’s going to be processing the 2 men back at the station. We can question them as soon as you want.” 

Danny nodded. “Okay. I’ll call police in his home town. . .get his family into protective custody.” 

“Good.” 

Just then, Danny’s phone buzzed against his ear. He pulled it away and saw an unknown number calling him. “Kono, I gotta go. Other line. Great job to both of you, I’ll see you soon, kay?” 

“Okay, bye Danny!” 

“Bye!” Danny hung up with Kono and pressed answer to the other call. “Detective Williams.” 

“Detective Daniel Williams?” 

“Yes?” 

“This is Dr. Nick Fisher from Straub Hospital.”

“Oh. . .hello. Is this about Steve?” 

“Yes, this is about Mr. McGarrett. . .” 

Danny listened to the pause and waited. 

“It seems that he had a bit of an episode. We gave him a sedative to calm him down, but before we were able to fully calm him down, there was a small mishap that resulted in him getting cut on mirror that hung on the cabinets near his bed.” 

“Oh, my god, is he okay?!” Danny asked anxiously. 

“He is. He’s sleeping now. The cut didn’t need stitches and will heal by itself. We stopped major bleeding and we wrapped it.” 

“Do you know what caused his. . .outburst?” 

“. . .well, yes and no. According to our nurse, who had been with him 2 minutes before it happened, noted that he had been sleeping. She had checked his vitals, he was normal, and then she stood at the door writing notes in his file. As she had finished, she turned because she heard him starting to make noises. Originally, she thought he was up, because he had sat up and moved out of his bed. He was walking to the cabinets when she told him he needed to rest. According to her, he was awake. His eyes were open, he was walking about. . .He was silent for a moment before he. . .snapped. He threw his hands against the mirror and began to yell and eventually with the banging, the mirror broke.” 

Danny listened to the doctor explain what happened to him. Steve was worse off than he thought. 

“The doctors in research think this may have been a hallucination, which can be explained by the reactions that are going on his body. Cells attacking cells, including brain cells. We were quickly instructed to put him in an extremely sedated state. While we can place him in a medically induced coma, the doctors in research wanted to wait to do that.” 

“Will it look like they will have to eventually do that?”

“It’s possible on the horizon. . .especially if he has another hallucination.”

Danny bit his lower lip. “Okay.” 

“I am so sorry, Detective Williams. I can assure you we are doing everything we can.” 

Danny nodded. “I know. Thank you.” 

“Of course. We will call you again to let you know how he’s doing.” 

Danny licked his lower lip. “I’ll actually be by later. Any luck he’ll be up?” 

“Possibly. He may be extremely tired and groggy due to the sedation, but you can still see him.” 

Danny nodded. “Alright. Um. . .” He swallowed, fighting his best to prevent himself from breaking down. “My team have been looking for the man who made the, um. . .concoction that. . .messed Steve up. Fortunately, we found him. But unfortunately, it’ll be a bit before we will be able to. . .get a story and some information from him. He’s being admitted right now.” 

“If I may, I hope he’s okay.” 

“He is. It sounds like it’s more psychological than anything. My mates said he may need to just be cleaned up and given fluids for a few hours and he should be okay.” 

“Oh, that’s good to hear.” 

“Yeah.” Danny smiled lightly. “I’ll probably call my team to send him your way.” 

“That would be excellent on everyone’s part.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Fisher.” 

“You are most welcome, Detective Williams. We’ll see you in a while, alright?” 

“Yep, thanks. Bye.” 

“Bye now.” 

Danny hung up. He gritted his teeth as he dialed Kono’s number. He swallowed, again with much difficulty. He listened to the dial tone, pleading with himself to not break down. 

“Danny?” 

“Hey, Kono, sorry about that.” 

“No problem, everything okay?” 

_No._ “Yeah, everything’s fine. Take Young to Straub Hospital.” 

“Okay, yeah. We were planning on taking him there.” She paused. “Are you sure everything’s okay?” 

Danny swallowed. “Um. . .” He sighed. “I just got off the phone with the hospital. Steve had a bit of an outburst.” 

“Oh, my god. What happened?” 

“He broke a mirror. Some of the doctors think it was a hallucination.” He sighed. “They sedated him, so he’s sleeping.” 

“I’m sorry Danny.” Kono murmured. 

“Yeah, me too.” Danny murmured back. 

“Well, we have Robert Young and. . .maybe he can help as soon as he’s done being checked out.” 

Danny nodded. “Yeah. Can you find out when he came to the island? Originally?” 

“Yeah, hold on.” 

Danny listened to the quietness with a few unclear voices on the other line. He looked over the tech table. _I wonder. . ._

“He said he got to the island about 3 weeks ago.” 

“And who picked him up? Does he know any of the names of the people who held him?” 

There was more silence for a few moments. Danny pulled up a note application on the computer. 

“He said he wasn’t picked up. He had been escorted on the plane from his home town. He was taken from the airport to their warehouse. He didn’t know anyone’s names except for a woman named Lucy and a man named Ben.”

Danny quickly typed into the computer. _Ben. Lucy. Justine. Lex. . .god, I wish I remember the rest of the names. . .Stan was one of them right? And Kevin?_ He then typed in the good doctor’s name again and brought him up on the screen. He began to type him in to facial recognition again. “Okay. . .thank you.” Danny said absentmindedly as he typed in the dates from 3 weeks ago until the present day. 

“What’s up?” 

“I wanted to meet you guys at the hospital, but, I’m going to run facial rec. Hopefully, the cameras can pick up on the person that was on the plane with him. . .and then maybe linking him to when his group arrived on the island. If I know a time line of when the group got here, I can maybe find the leader and stop them from leaving the island. It takes. . .I don’t know, 3 or 4 hours to go for that far back? I can come back here to see if we got anything after we chat with Dr. Young some more.” 

“Good thinking. Wait. . .how do you know the group isn’t from Hawaii?” 

“When I was at the warehouse, I overheard two women talking about when they were back in Georgia.” 

“If they were back in Georgia, we need to call the feds. This is going cross state lines.” 

“I know. I kinda wanted to get more information and see through Young’s recovery before getting them involved.”

“Danny, they’re going to ask you questions about that. . .you don’t want the feds on your ass for something like that.” 

“I know. . .if anything, I may have to tell a little white lie-”

“Danny, come on, nothing good comes from lying.” 

“Kono, just. . .give me 24 hours. . .and then I’ll tell them, okay?” 

Kono sighed. “Fine.” 

“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Kay, bye.” 

“Bye.” 

Danny hung up and finished setting up facial rec. Once he finished, he set out to drive to the hospital. _Fuck, I hope Steve’s okay._ He hoped as he sat in his car. _That outburst sounded bad._ Danny exhaled a large breath. _I need to be strong. . .for Robert, for the team. . .for Steve. . .I need to be strong._ He turned the keys in the ignition. _I need to be strong._


	17. Chapter 17

Danny arrived at the hospital. Before he made his way down to the room where Chin and Kono were with Dr. Young, Danny walked down the hall to where Steve was staying. He walked into the room. He slowly approached the bed where his partner laid, sleeping. Danny walked over to the bed and stood over Steve.   
****

The man looked worse. He still looked sick, with his pale face, dry lips, and gaunt looking face.  Even though it had been a few hours since he had last seen him, and now that Danny had a chance to really look at him, it looked like Steve had lost quite a bit of weight from the past few days. 

_I guess most people would look like this if they had not been eating._ Danny thought as he looked over Steve’s body. _Huh. . ._ Danny’s eyes landed on Steve’s left hand. It was bandage up to his wrist. _I guess that’s the hand he cut._ Danny skewed his lips to one side. _He has to get better. I have to believe he’ll get better. Even though. . .we don’t know what this is. . .he needs to get better. He has to get better._

Danny swallowed hard. He lifted a hand and closed it over Steve’s right hand. He bit his lower lip as he felt tears in his eyes. He closed them. _Please not here. . .I need to be strong._ He breathed in. _Be strong, fight on, be strong, fight on. . ._

A single tear trickled down Danny’s cheek. He quickly wiped it away and took in a shuddery breath. He shook himself. _Steve’s gonna sleep. I need to find Chin and Kono._ He thought as he wiped his cheek again with his hand. He gave a squeeze of Steve’s hand. He slowly turned and walked out to the front desk on the floor. 

A woman looked up at him with a smile. “How can I help you?” 

“Um, I’m wondering about a possible admittance. His name is Robert Young. One of two officers, -er, rather, both, may have admitted him.” 

The woman typed on the computer. “Robert Young. . .do you know the name of those who may have admitted him?” 

“Officer Kono Kalakua or Officer Chin Ho Kelly.” 

The woman typed again. “Ah, yes. He’s in the treatment unit in wing D which is down the hall and on your left. He’s in room 5 right now.” 

Danny smiled weakly. “Thank you.”  He turned and quickly walked down the hall towards the area the woman had pointed him to. 

He took a turn and saw a plaque on the wall. 

_Wing D._

Danny quickly walked down the hall, looking back and forth in between the doors. _Number 5. . .number 5. . .ah, number 5._ Danny moved to the closed door and quietly knocked.

It opened and Chin appeared. “Hey, man.” Chin murmured. 

“Hey. Can I come in?” 

“Yeah, the doctor was finishing up with. . .well, the doctor.” Chin said with a small smile. 

Danny smiled and walked in as Chin closed the door behind him. Danny moved in the small room. 

“And. . .we have a good line. I’m going to run fluids on you for an hour and then check in on you again before you go, alright?” The woman in the white coat said as she tapped and swiped on her tablet. 

“Alright. Thank you.” The man who sat back in the hospital bed. 

“You are welcome. Press this button if you need anything and someone will be in to check on you every 20 minutes or so. Do you have any questions right now?” 

The man nodded. “No. Thank you again.” 

The doctor nodded. “Anytime.” 

With that, the doctor walked out of the room and left Chin, Kono, and Danny alone with, who Danny assumed, was Dr. Robert Young. 

“Dr. Young, this is Detective Danny Williams. He works with us.” 

Danny extended his hand. “Dr. Young, it’s nice to finally meet you.” 

The man smiled and took his hand. “Detective Williams, nice to meet you too. You can call me Robert. Chin and Kono have told me a lot about you.” 

Danny smiled lightly. His smile faded slightly. “I hope it’s nothing too serious.” He said as he nodded and gestured to the man’s arms. 

“She just cleaned some of my wounds and I’m getting fluids for the next hour. And then I’ll be on my way home to my wife and son.” He said happily as he looked at the catheter in his arm. 

Danny looked over at Kono and Chin. They both looked away, uncomfortably. They obviously hadn’t mentioned the situation to him. 

“Well, after I answer your guys’ questions, of course.” He added. “But. . .I’m ready to see my family.” 

Danny licked his lower lip. “Robert. . .about that. . .” He swallowed and looked down. 

Robert waited for Danny to continue. 

Danny looked back up at him. “We need you. . .to stay here for a while longer.” 

Robert continued to wait for him to explain. 

“I don’t know if you know him personally, but there’s this man. . .his name is Steve McGarrett-”

“Steve?! Oh, my god! You-you guys work with him-er, know him. You must! He said he worked in law enforcement-You need to find him! I think I know the area I last saw him-”

“Hey, hey. We’ve found him. He’s actually in a room at this hospital.”

“Is he okay?” 

Danny stared at the man. “Um. . .” He paused. “He’s been better.” 

Robert did the same stare-and-wait move he did earlier. 

“We need your help. He’s. . .he’s really sick.” Danny paused. “The doctors pulled me aside and explained it to me that it is like an autoimmune disease they had never seen before. . .” Danny stared at Robert as the man stared back at him. Danny saw a realization in the man’s eyes. 

“He. . .it worked?” 

Danny shook his head. “What?” 

“The drug-the mixture, the night he was taken. . .the day after. . .he was a. . .dog?” He asked with a small smile. 

Danny didn’t understand this man. “Yes. He actually was with me for quite sometime. As a dog.” 

“What was he like? Everything dog? Any human mannerisms? Could you understand him at all?” 

Danny shook his head. “With all due respect, Robert, we can discuss those details later. Steve is in the hospital. . .his body is fighting itself. . .it seems that, perhaps the antidote or the serum, whatever, it didn’t work.” 

Robert frowned. 

“Now. . .I realize you want to see your wife and your son. I have a little girl of my own, and some days, it kills me to go without her. I can’t imagine going. . .weeks without seeing or talking to her. And I know what I’m asking for is a lot.” He paused. “But. . .please. . .please consider staying just a while longer. . .for Steve’s sake.” 

Robert stared at him. “Well. . .if he’s in trouble, we need to help him, right? That’s the right thing to do.” He paused. “I’ll stay.” 

Danny could feel relief spread through him. 

“But. . .”

Danny kept his eyes on the man. He suddenly displayed a small look of desire and hope as he tilted his head just a little. 

“Can I. . .can I call my wife? Talk to her and my son?” 

Danny nodded. “Yeah, of course. Here.” He took out his personal phone and gave it to him. Robert took it. “Dr. Young. . .”

Robert looked up at him. 

“Thank you.” He paused. “I don’t think you know how much this means to. . .” He paused again. “All of us.” 

Robert smiled at him. 

“Take as much time as you need.” Danny murmured. He turned and ushered Kono and Chin to follow him. 

Danny breathed out heavily as he closed the door behind him. He took his hand and ran it through his hair.  

“This is good news, Danny, he’s staying!” Kono said with a smile. 

“I know. . .” 

“Then why do you look so down?” Chin asked. 

Danny looked at him. “Cuz Steve’s still not well.” 

There was a silence that drifted among them for a few moments. 

“Danny?” 

Danny looked at Kono. 

“Even though. . .Steve’s not well, right now. . .I have high hopes that he will get through this.” 

Danny smiled at her. “Yeah. I hope so.” 

“We all do.” Chin added. 

Danny smiled a little more, but inside, he still felt weak. While he hoped for the best of outcomes, he was afraid that these would be the last memories he would have of Steve. 

Sick. . .in the hospital. . .possibly comatose if he couldn’t be helped. 

Danny sighed. “I’m going to go see Steve, right now.” He murmured as he began to head towards the room. 

“Do you mind if we come too?” Kono asked as she and Chin walked quickly to catch up to Danny. 

Danny weakly smiled. “I’m sure Steve would like the company.” 


	18. Chapter 18

It was a few hours later. After dropping by Steve’s room and seeing that the man was still sleeping, Danny had headed back to Robert’s room and he had been able to talk to Robert more about him starting in the lab and working on something to help Steve. He tried to insist that Robert needed rest and he could start after he slept a bit. 

But Robert refused. 

“Danny, I am fine. I slept when I wasn’t working on. . .the millions of things the woman wanted me to do. I slept. A lot. I’ll be fine.” He said as he stood up after his arm had been wrapped with a bandage. 

After the man was cleared, he walked out of the hospital room and demanded to be taken to the research center of the hospital. 

Danny admired the man. After escorting him to the research center, Danny headed to Steve’s room again. 

As he walked, he hoped that Chin and Kono would quickly get back to him. After quietly visiting Steve when he was sleeping, they had left to go back to HQ to check on the facial recognition that had been running for a while now as well as to question the two men they found. _I bet the ‘pinning one on the other’ will work with them. The smaller one seemed like he was going to be the easier one to break._

Danny slowly walked into the hospital room. He approached the hospital bed. Danny gazed at the man in the bed. His head was turned, facing the opposite side of the room from where Danny walked. His heart leapt as he saw Steve turn his head to face him. 

Steve turned his head at the sound of footsteps. His heart lightened at the sight of the man with blond hair. “Danny.” He smiled as he reached out. 

“Steve, hey.” Danny spoke gently and with a small smile. He saw the hand Steve offered and he took it. He gave it a small squeeze. “How are you feeling, babe?”

Steve gave him a weak chuckle. “Still kinda like crap. My torso hurts and. . .it still kinda feels like my insides are burning.” 

Danny bit his lower lip. “I am sorry you have to go through this.”

“I have pain killers on board. It’s not as bad as it was. And. . .” Steve shrugged. “Better me than someone else, I guess.” 

“Why you say that?” Danny tilted his head. 

Steve shrugged. “You know my tolerance for pain. It’s pretty. . .high. I’m usually able to. . .function pretty well with a bullet in my arm or. . .with something sharp in my leg. . .” Steve grinned. 

Danny grinned back as he listened to Steve’s irregular breathing. “This is very true.” He looked over the different connections of tubes and wires that rested on Steve’s body. Steve clearly wasn’t entirely used to the nasal cannula that helped supply oxygen into his body. He gently rubbed his nostrils with his fingers. “But, I’m still sorry.” 

Steve gave him a small smile. “It’s not too bad. Being waited on, hand and foot.” 

Danny gave him a grin. “That’s the guy I know and love.” 

Steve smiled back at him. “To be honest. . .it’s slightly easier. . .when you’re here.” He gazed deeply into Danny’s blue eyes as he said the words. 

Danny gazed back at him and his chest got all tight when he said the words. He shook himself from the elated emotions. “How’s your hand?” 

Steve glanced down at his bandaged hand. He stared at it for a few seconds. “Um. . .it’s okay. It’s throbbing a bit.” 

Danny paused. “What happened?” 

Steve gritted his teeth. “I. . .I had a bad dream. . .” 

“Like a nightmare?” 

Steve nodded. “I was looking at a reflection. . .in a pond. And when I looked, it wasn’t my reflection. . .it was. . .the woman. . .who seemed to be in charge of. . .everything.” 

Danny nodded. “Okay. . .”

“It panicked me. . .thinking I was. . .her. But then the reflection changed to a vicious dog. It. . .leapt out at me. . .and growled and snapped. . .So I tried to get rid of it. . .” 

“And that’s when you smashed the mirror.” 

Steve nodded. “Yeah. . .and then someone grabbed me, but I thought it was one of her henchmen, or even a wild dog pack attack, so I tried to fight back. And then. . .I think that’s when they sedated me because everything went away.” 

Danny bit his lower lip. 

“It was so real. . .I. . .I thought that it was actually happening. . .” 

Danny gazed at the man. He looked exhausted and so sickly with a gaunt looking, pale face, tired bags underneath his eyes, and chapped lips. “It didn’t. It isn’t. Just. . .remember you’re safe.” 

Steve huffed out a small, weak laugh. “Safe?” He paused as he stared at the wall ahead of him. “Am I safe? Right now? Through the. . .mess of everything?” 

Danny didn’t answer the question. He felt lost in trying to find a way to help Steve feel, at least, a little bit better. 

“But like I said, things are easier and better when you’re here.” Steve said looking over at him. 

Danny smiled at his words. “I’m glad I can help.” He paused. “I’m hoping since Robert’s in the lab, he can get back to us quickly.” 

Steve rose his eyebrows. “You found Young?” 

“Yes.” Danny nodded. “Believe it or not, we can get things accomplished when you’re not with us.” 

Steve chuckled weakly before grasping at his torso. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.” He chuckled.

Danny smiled at the man’s soft chuckling and wide smile. “Sorry.” He murmured. 

Steve settled down a bit. “How is he?”

Danny nodded. “He’s okay. He got some I.V. fluids and some abrasions he had were cleaned. I suggested he rest, but. . .when I asked him to stay because you were here, he basically wanted to be shown the lab right away.” Danny said. 

“Well. . .what an honor.” Steve grinned.

“Yeah. He was surprised you. . .” He drifted off. 

“Turned into a dog?” 

“Yeah. . .” Danny answered with a small smile. “And then turned back.” 

Steve smiled. “I hope he gets some answers soon.”

Almost immediately, Danny answered. “He will.” 

Steve smiled weakly. “Until then. . .will you. . .stay here, with me?” 

Danny grinned widely and squeezed his good hand. “Yes. I’ll stay.” 

“Even if I fall asleep?” Steve asked quickly.

Danny nodded. “Even if you fall asleep.” He smiled at Steve. 

Steve smiled back. “Good.” 

A silence fell over them. It wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact. . .it was quite pleasant. Peaceful. Danny knew Steve was tired but he kept stroking Steve’s fingers in his hand even as the man slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep once more. 

Danny stayed with him, gazing at him and continuing to stroke the man’s fingers. He pulled out his phone and kept it in his hand. He wished for Chin and Kono to call him back. He wished for Steve to sleep soundly without any hallucinations or terrors. He wished for Grace to be okay. 

And. . .

He wished for Steve to get well.

_Soon. . .I hope. . ._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

*Buzz*Buzz*Buzz*

Danny jolted awake, sitting up in his seat. He looked around. His phone buzzed in his hand. He swallowed. “Hello?” He answered, trying not to sound so sleepy. 

“Danno?” 

Danny’s heart melted as he heard his daughter’s voice. “Hey monkey! How are you doing?”

“Good, good. You?” 

“I’m good.” 

“Did I wake you up?” 

Danny didn’t want Grace to feel bad, but he also didn’t want to lie to her. “Erm. . .maybe?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry dad.” 

“It’s alright. I welcome your calls, you know that.” 

“Well. . .I know, but. . .you’ve been working so hard the past few weeks. . .what with the case before the one the governor set you on. . .and then that one. . .and then looking for Uncle Steve. . .and now trying to figure out things with Uncle Steve. . .” 

Danny smiled. “While I have lost sleep, I would rather talk to you than catch up on sleep.” 

He smiled as he listened to Grace giggle over the phone. “Well, thank you, dad.” 

“Of course. It’s the truth.” He paused. “So. . .how was school today?” 

Danny talked on the phone with Grace for a good 20 minutes. He listened to her stories of school, her friends, and then cheer practice. And then he listened to her concerns about losing her favorite chapstick at school, but only to assure her that, no, her chapstick had been left in his car. She also talked about the homework she had that night. While she had finished some of it, she was having trouble at other parts. Especially math. 

“So if you just remember PEMDAS, you will answer any question correctly. . .well, that is of course if you aren’t speeding through the problem.”

“Okay. . .” 

“Let’s do a problem. What are you stuck on?” 

“The problem is ‘simplify 4+[-1(-2-1)]2’.”

“Alright. So, by following PEMDAS, what would you do first?” 

“Parenthesis. . .so -3. . .multiply -1 and -3. . .which is 3. So 4+[3]2”

“Okay, what next?” 

“Exponents. . .so 3 multiplied by 3 is 9. . .and plus 4 is 13. . .so 13 is the answer!” 

“There you go!” Danny smiled. 

Danny’s heart leapt as Steve moved in his bed and opened his eyes. He smiled at the man as he looked over at him. He continued to smile as Steve squeezed his hand. 

“Alright! Only. . .9 more to go! Thanks Danno, it makes a lot more sense now.” 

“Good. I’m glad you understand better. If you still don’t understand some things, just let me know, okay?” 

“Okay. If I send you a picture when I’m done, can you look over it?” 

“Of course! Send it to me when you’re done.” 

“Okay. Thank you dad.”

“Anytime, sweetheart. I’ll call you after I look over your answers.” 

“Alright. Sounds good.” She paused. “How’s Uncle Steve?” 

Danny took in a breath as he glanced at Steve. “He’s the same. He’s pretty drowsy.” 

“Can I. . .can I see him sometime?” 

Danny smiled softly. “I know Uncle Steve would love it if you were to visit him.” 

Steve rose his eyebrows and smiled weakly. 

Danny smiled at his reaction to the thought of his daughter visiting him. “You don’t have cheer practice tomorrow, right?” 

“Yeah. I can drop by then.” 

“I know he’d love to see you.” 

“Good, then. . .when he wakes up a bit, tell him I’ll be by tomorrow after school.” 

“I will, monkey.” 

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later, kay? Love you.” 

“Love you, too.” Danny said. 

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Danny hung up his phone. He looked over at Steve who had been gazing at him sleepily. 

“I’m getting a visit from Gracie?” He asked with a wide smile. 

Danny grinned widely at him. “She said she’d stop by after school tomorrow.” 

Steve blinked sleepily. “I feel lucky.” 

Danny chuckled. “What, she your good luck charm now?” 

“The Williams family seems to bring me luck.” Steve grinned. 

Danny shook his head as he chuckled softly. “Oh, Steve. . .” Danny smiled slightly faded. 

Steve frowned. “What’s wrong, Danno?” 

Danny shrugged. “I just. . .I’m. . .anxious to know what the doctors will come up with. Now that they’re working with Robert.” He murmured. That wasn’t exactly what was on his mind, but it wasn’t a lie. 

Steve raised an eyebrow. “I know there’s something else, Danno.” 

Danny knew he shouldn’t keep anything from Steve. Especially with the man being where he was. _Hell, I_ ** _can’t_** _keep anything from him._ “I just. . .I just really want you to be okay.” His voice faded into a small whisper as he tried to hold back his sadness. 

Steve smiled at him. He couldn’t ask for a better friend. _Friend? Do I still refer to him as a friend? We really need to talk about this. . .maybe later, though. . .but I wonder. . ._ “Danny?” 

Danny looked at him. “Yeah?” 

Steve studied his face. “If I asked you to kiss me, right now. . .what would you do?” 

Slightly shocked at the question, Danny thought for a split second. “I’d probably say no.” 

Steve looked down at his hands. “Oh.”

Danny’s lips curved into a small smile. “But, I must say. . .” He stood up from his chair. “Since this is a ‘benevolent dictatorship’. . .” He inched closer to Steve in his hospital bed. “I don’t think I’d be able to refuse a command.” 

Steve looked up at him with a surprised look. His eyes softened and he gave Danny a weak smile. 

“You know. . .out of concern with the possibility of me losing my job.” Danny continued with a mischievous grin. 

Steve’s chest tightened in excitement. He grinned. “Danny, kiss me.” Steve whispered weakly. “Kiss me, Danno.” 

Danny smiled softly and leaned closer to place his lips to Steve’s. They gently landed and stayed against Steve’s. 

Steve slowly raised his hand to Danny’s cheek. He stopped for a moment, breaking from Danny’s lips. 

Danny looked down at the eyes. Steve seemed slightly shocked and bewildered. “What’s wrong?” 

Steve shook his head. “Um. . .” He opened his mouth to say something but then a smile spread across his lips. “Did you use strawberry chapstick today?” Steve asked in a whisper. 

“Um. . .yeah.” Danny chuckled softly. “My lips were pretty bad. Grace’s chapstick was all that was in the car.” 

Steve smiled. “Mmm. Tastes good. You should wear it more often.” He whispered as he placed his lips on Danny’s once more. 

Danny grinned as he kissed Steve, absolutely loving the feel of Steve’s lips against his own, tasting the man, holding him close. 

Danny’s stomach slightly dropped as he heard a knock at the door. He quickly withdrew from Steve’s lips as he heard the door open. He wiped some glisten from his upper lip before turning back to the door. 

“Sorry for interrupting, gentlemen. Bad time?” Robert Young said to them. 

“Oh, no. You weren’t interrupting.” Danny spoke as he looked over at Steve. “We were. . .um. . .”

“Talking. We were talking.” Steve helped him with a smile as he looked at the man. 

The doctor smiled. “I do love a good chat.” He walked closer to the bed. He pulled up a stool that sat nearby. He sat on it. He held a record in his hands. “How are you feeling, Steve?” 

Steve shrugged. “The same. Less painful, but they did amp up my pain medication.” 

“I’m glad you’re less painful. I have some news.” He paused as he looked at his hands before looking up. “The group of doctors and researchers I’ve been working with, as well as myself, have been able to isolate the rest of the elements of the drug. Which is a good thing. It’s a good thing because we’ve hypothesized what to do next.” 

“Alright, great!” Danny murmured. 

“We have hypothesized that by binding a cure to your original DNA, it can help with keeping the change more permanent.” 

“More permanent? Like. . .it’s not completely permanent now?” Danny asked. 

“Actually, no. He is not technically. . .human right now.” 

“How is this possible?” Danny turned to look at Steve. 

Steve looked at him before looking back to Robert. “So. . .what am I?” 

“Our guess is you’re a human-canine hybrid. . .that’s the. . .best I can describe it. Your symptoms that you came in with indicate that your body is battling itself. . .because your human cells are fighting your canine cells and your canine cells are fighting your human cells.” 

Danny and Steve looked at each other incredulously. 

“Look, it’s a bit of a simpler fix. . .it’s not like it’s-the compound _does_ allow change to the cells, although, I don’t know why they didn’t think of that. It would a bit more complicated to make the compound resist change to cells, of course, but that would’ve been a better drug to shill among people. . .” 

Danny looked at him. “Glad it’s a simple fix.” He said sarcastically. 

“Me too." The doctor said, oblivious to Danny's tone. "The only problem is. . .” 

“What?” 

“It requires original DNA. . .DNA that hasn’t been altered. . .and. . .quite a bit of it, might I add.”

Danny thought about his words. "How much is 'quite a bit'?"

Robert sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "At least enough to test, which would be about 4 or 5 mls worth. And then enough for the actual treatment. . .which may have to be close to 2 or 3 pints. That would be plenty for an I.V. treatment, I'd imagine."

Danny’s heart sunk as did Steve’s. _Unaltered DNA?_ They thought together.

Danny turned to Steve. “Um. . .do you like. . .have sperm you donated somewhere?” 

Steve looked up in shock at Danny. “WHA? NO!” He said embarrassed.

“I was just asking.” Danny murmured with a grin. “Any blood donated recently?” 

“No. . .even if I had, it’s anonymous.” Steve said disappointed. 

Danny thought for a moment. “I have some serum vials from warehouse. . .maybe 2 or 3 of them. They’re at my house, in the freezer. I was going to take them to evidence, but. . .things happened.” He looked over at Steve. “Pretty quickly, I might add and. . .they got left there.” 

“Okay, that’s good, that’s a start.” Robert said. 

They all fell silent, trying to think of where Steve might have extra DNA of himself stored. Danny couldn’t think of anything. Nor could Steve.

“Wait. . .” Robert said after a bit. 

Steve and Danny looked at him. 

“I think we may have taken some blood from Steve prior to giving him anything. It was at the warehouse-”

“In the freezer? With the serum vials?” Danny asked hopefully. 

“Well. . .we did take those, but I believe we also took about. . .2 pints? In actual blood bags. I can't be sure, but I remember them carry the pints to the back room when they brought me in to do the experiment.” 

“In the same freezer?” Danny thought back to the freezer. He had not seen blood bags in the freezer. 

“I would imagine so. . .but if they’re not there, I don’t know where they’d be.” Robert said. 

Danny chewed his tongue for a moment. “Where is Lex?” He asked fiercely after a few moments. 

“Who?” 

“Lex, the woman who was ahead of all this? Where is she?” Danny asked again. 

“I-I don’t know, Danny.” Robert said. 

“Robert, you worked with her! You are now claiming not to know her name?! What is going on?!” 

“Danny, I-” Robert stopped and breathed out. “Look, I did work with her, but she only knew me by name. I didn’t really know her.” 

Danny sighed and paused. He was getting worked up. Placing blame on a victim wouldn’t solve anything. “Okay. . .I’m sorry, I’m. . .I’m just flustered.” He paused. “You have to remember something. Anything that she or others may have mentioned.”

Robert thought for a moment. He closed his eyes. 

Danny stared at him for a few seconds and glanced over at Steve, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows and then looking back to Robert. 

Robert’s eyes flashed open. “A bunker. . .” He whispered. 

“What?” 

Robert shifted and looked at Danny. “When I was being held hostage at this. . .old, small, falling apart, studio like cabin, I would be locked inside and two men would sit outside, normally, and talk when they thought I was asleep. I remember a man, I think his name was Rick, mention something to whoever the other guard was, at the time, that Lex or someone was at a bunker. . .I never heard anything else from anyone.” 

“A bunker. . .what bunker? Where? What does it look like?” 

Robert shook his head. “That’s all I know. . .I’m sorry.” 

Danny nodded. “Okay. A bunker.” 

Robert nodded. 

Danny stood up. “I’m going to call Chin and Kono, okay?” He said to Steve. 

“Okay.” Steve said with a small smile.

Danny moved his hand and squeezed Steve’s shoulder as he smiled at him. 

Steve smiled up at him, giving him a knowing look.

Danny grinned as he dropped his hand and walked out of the room. 

Steve turned his attention back to Robert as Danny had fully exited the room. 

Robert rose his eyebrows at Steve with a small smile playing at his lips.

Steve looked to his left and then back to Robert. “What?” 

Robert shook his head. “Uh, nothing.” He said. “Um. . .where was I? Oh, yes. So. . .we need part of your original DNA to try to. . .“get the ball rolling”, so to speak.” He paused. 

Steve was beyond confused. 

“Let me explain.” He paused, shifting in his seat. “It’s kinda like how viruses and vaccinations work. . .or rather how the rabies vaccine works in humans and how the rattle snake vaccine works in dogs. Your body is introduced to parts of viruses when you’re vaccinated. Your body takes these parts of virus and uses them to recognize the virus later so if the virus does enter your body, it has the means to fight it off. Now with rabies in humans, and the rattle snake vaccine in dogs, you’re given the vaccine and if you are exposed to the virus, or the venom, you go to the hospital, or the vet, and get treated for rabies or rattlesnake bite. Now, you may think ‘why spend my money on something that doesn’t work?’. But it does work!” He said excitedly. “Once introduced to the venom or the virus, your immune system works on slowing the venom’s and the virus’s destruction. Our theory is that this. . .poison or substance. . .is like that, or at least, that was my hope for it to act like a virus. However, this particular virus like substance changes your DNA. That’s its purpose. The antidote, cure, ‘vaccine’, or ‘anti-venom’ if I may, is your original serum-” 

“So. . .I’m never going to be fully human again?” Steve concluded, slightly down trodden.

“No, no, no. I hypothesize that your while your body is still fighting itself, you may be able to return back to normal.” 

“Okay, earlier you said I’m a human-canine hybrid. . .please explain this to me.” 

“Your body is fighting itself right now. From what we’ve gathered from the scans, blood tests, and small biopsies they did when you first came in, is that some of your tissues are still. . .of the subspecies, Canis Lupus Familiaris.”

“So. . .I’m still dealing with dog tissue in my body?” Steve clarified. 

“Precisely, yes.”  

“So. . .do we need to do surgery if this cure doesn’t work?” Steve asked. 

“Surgery is an option, however myself as well as the team do not recommend it due to the uncertainty of where the tissues are located at as well as the frequency and the size of the tissues appearing in your body. Radiation was also an option, but. . .it kills good cells as well as bad cells.”

Steve furrowed his brows. 

“If we can get your immune system to stop fighting itself, you won’t have these symptoms. The vomiting, the dizziness, the burning at the torso, the stabbing pains. . .we predict they will stop with the treatment we hope to try with you.” 

Steve paused. “Explain the treatment to me again, please?”

Robert smiled at him. “I’d be happy to.” He said as he took the record he held and opened it. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Danny stood out in the hall. He had pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Chin’s number. He waited as he listened to the rings. 

“Oh, man we were just about to call you.” Chin’s voice came over the phone. 

“Yeah? Whatcha got?” 

“We have I.D.’d the woman that you put up through facial rec. Her name is Alexia Isbak. She is originally from Denmark, but came to the states with her family when she was really young. They moved to Georgia. . .and then she only recently had started selling things that belonged to her. . .her home, her car, some of the items she kept at her home. . .all to come to Hawaii. Also, it’s noted that in her name with bank accounts she spent quite a bit of money about 4 years ago.” 

“Does it say what she spent the money on?” Danny asked. 

“Oversea shipping. . .medical supplies. . .oh! She rented a warehouse back in Georgia, according to this statement. . .” 

“Anything to pin her directly to this case?” 

“Well, yeah. . .the evidence is there. . .we have records of that, plus her moving here. . .” Chin continued. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up. . .” 

Danny heard Kono’s voice and waited. 

“We got her. . .she purchased an old warehouse here in Hawaii. . .bordering on the State park and. . .O’ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge.” Kono said. “Well, that’s illegal.” 

“Yeah, I don’t even know why that building is still there.” Chin murmured. “That’s her place. And we’ve got Steve’s statement, and. . .we’ll try to get one from Robert.” 

“Robert mentioned something about a bunker. Is there anything on her bank statements about that?” Danny asked. 

“Um. . .give us a sec.” 

Danny waited and looked down the hall as a few people walked in and out of hospital rooms. It seemed like a pretty quiet place. . .considering what was going on in the world of criminals. 

“Nope. Nothing.” 

Danny thought for a moment. “Um. . .try. . .some sort of. . .shelter supplies. . .um. . .or like. . .shipping containers. . .something big.” 

He waited a few more seconds as he listened to clicking and tapping in the background. 

“Oh. . .she did purchase a shipping container shell.” Chin said. 

“Do we know anything about it?” 

“No. . .she bought it for about 3 grand. . .” 

Danny sighed. She could have placed that anywhere on the island. Danny tried to think. He searched his mind. _Wait. . ._ A thought came into his mind as he remembered the conversation between Lex and Lu in the warehouse when he was hiding in the closet. “West Alley. . .” He murmured. 

“What was that, Danny?” Kono asked. 

Danny shifted and stood up straighter, moving the phone to his other ear. “I was just thinking. . .when I went out looking for Steve with. . .well, Steve. . .we went to that warehouse, remember?” 

“Right. . .” Chin said. 

“I told you we had to hide in a closet because some people came in.” 

“Right. . .” The cousins both said. 

“Some woman. . .I think it was Lex. . .Alexia-she said something about the West Alley. . .it is too deep and lush. . . ‘no body ever goes there.’ She was saying that’s where she’d dump Ben’s body, but. . .” He paused. “I don’t know. . .there was something about the way she said it. . .like she knew it. . .personally.” 

“West Alley? In Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park?” 

“I would presume so.” Danny said. 

“There’s nothing called that in the park.” Chin said. 

“Well. . .maybe it’s what she referred to it as. Her mates wouldn’t have known where her bunker is, but they will know where the area is.” 

“Alright. We’ll go back and question. . .I think the guy’s name is Mark.”

“Alright. Keep me updated.” Danny said.

“Yep. Later.” 

“Yeah, later Danny.”

“Bye, guys.” Danny hung up his phone. He breathed out heavily. _Hopefully, we’ll get this sorted out._


	19. Chapter 19

“Gin!” 

“Danny!” Steve laughed. 

Danny laughed as he scooped up his hand of cards. 

“Damn you!” Steve laughed as he threw his hand of cards down on his lap. 

“Sorry, you wanna go again?” 

Steve chuckled. “Eh. . .” 

“Wanna play something else?” 

Steve thought for a second. “War?” 

“How did I know you’d say that?” Danny asked with a grin as he gathered the playing cards. 

Steve laughed as he watched Danny shuffle the cards. His smile faded a little. “Have Chin and Kono called?” 

Danny reached into his pocket and checked his phone just in case he had missed a call. “No.” 

Steve let out a small sigh. 

“They’ll call.” Danny murmured. 

“I know.” Steve said as he shifted in his bed. 

Danny weakly smiled at him. The great cousins had found the area that Alexia had referred to as ‘The West Alley’. They were now headed to the area and looking for the woman behind the ‘master plan.’

"Robert got the samples okay?" Steve asked. 

Danny nodded, knowing Steve was referring to the serum samples he had stored away in his freezer. "Yep, I brought them this morning when I came back from showering and changing at my place. He began testing them as soon as he took them to the lab." 

Steve nodded. 

Suddenly, Danny’s phone rang loudly. Not even bothering to check the caller I.D, he answered. “Hello?” 

“Danny?!” 

“Kono! What’s going on?” He said as he stood up from his chair next to Steve’s bed. 

Steve had looked up as Danny said her name. He hoped she was calling with good news. 

“We found Ben’s body. And Alexia’s bunker. Both were hidden, but we were able to find it. We have Alexia in custody now. She’s being moved to the station.” 

“Great. Okay. What’s in the bunker?” 

“Um. . .a layout for living, ya know? A bed. . .a couch. . .a kitchen like area. . .down stairs there’s a rec area with a tv, computer, and a gym like area.” 

“Is there a freezer anywhere?” 

“Um. . .” 

Danny waited as Kono was probably looking around. 

“There’s a small one in the kitchen.” 

“Okay. . .look in it. There may be a few pints of blood.” 

There was a few seconds of silence. 

“Yep. Blood here.” 

“Is it labeled?”

“It. . .it says that it’s Steve’s.” 

“Okay. Get it and transport it here. Do not let it go bad.” Danny said fiercely. 

“Alright. Will do.” 

“Don’t let anything happen to it, Kono. I mean it.”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll be careful with it.” 

“Okay.” Danny said, feeling slightly calmed. 

“Okay. We’re heading back. We’ll be there later, alright?” 

“Kay. Good job. Stay safe.” 

“Kay, thanks. We will. Later.” 

“Later.” Danny hung up his phone and turned to Steve. 

“That Kono?” He asked with raised eyebrows. 

“Yeah.” Danny said with a small smile. “She found the blood.” 

Steve let out a relieved sigh. He smiled. “Thank god.” 

Danny smiled. “I think I’ll go let Robert know, okay?”

Steve nodded. “Yep.” 

Danny left and Steve sat on his bed by himself. He sighed again. _Hopefully Robert will figure something out now. . .I hope things will work out. . ._


	20. Chapter 20

Steve and Danny sat quietly in Steve’s hospital room. It was the following morning and they sat in the clean room as early morning light streamed through the hospital windows. 

Danny sat on his chair with his elbows resting on his thighs. “Got 93 likes from that picture I posted of us yesterday.” Danny said with a grin as he scrolled on his phone. 

“What picture?” Steve asked weakly with a small smile. 

Danny clicked to enlarge the picture and turned his phone around for Steve to see. It was a picture of Danny handsomely smiling as Steve slept on his side, curled up slightly with his arm resting close to his chest and tucked underneath his chin. 

“You little devil, when did you take that?” Steve asked with a grin. 

“Well. . .when you were sleeping.” Danny murmured.

Steve brought the phone down and glared playfully at Danny. 

“Alright, alright! It was last night. I couldn’t sleep.” Danny admitted.

Steve looked back at the photo. “It’s. . .cute. I like it.”

“Good, cuz I wanted to tag you, but I decided to wait.” Danny said. 

“Well. . .I’m going to tag. . .myself. . .on your account.” 

“Hey. . .never mind.”

“What?” Steve said as he finished tagging himself in the picture and looked over at Danny. 

“Well, I was going to say ‘that’s illegal’ but. . .it’s you. . .”

“What does that mean?!” Steve asked as he handed the phone back to Danny.  

“It means you are the definition of illegal, you animal.” Danny murmured as he took the phone. “And I can say that now, because you were an animal.” 

Steve chuckled and playfully tapped Danny’s shoulder, making him laugh. 

Danny sat back in his seat and watched as Steve pulled out his own phone. 

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

They both turned to the open door. 

“Good morning gents!” Robert cheerfully sounded in the room. 

“Robert! How’s it?” Danny called to him. 

“Oh, Robert, I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to see a doctor.” Steve admitted as he adjusted himself on the bed. 

“Oh, that is good. . .for once.” Robert laughed. “Because I have good news.”

Steve sat up and took in a breath with a small smile on his face.

Danny licked his lower lip and glanced over at Steve and then back to Robert. 

“We were able to take your blood and run tests on your current blood. We were able to isolate the DNA in each samples. We introduced some other compounds and chemicals to your blood before you were a lovable furry animal. It reacted well, no diminishing or death of the cells. Then we added your blood from prior to being a canine to your current blood. Your blood, at the point prior to your change, improved your current cells and. . .simply, demolished the canine cells, leaving nothing but healthy human cells.” 

“That’s. . .good. . .” Danny looked over at Steve and back at Robert. 

“It is! It’s fantastic! It means that, in theory, we can create that possible treatment, if not, cure, because of these findings.” 

“In theory?” 

“Well, in practice, it works in small amounts, so in theory, it should work in large quantities, but we’d have to try it to see.” 

Danny stayed quiet. He hoped it would work, too. 

“As for a potential home plan, when this concoction works, we’ll send you home with syringes full of the antidote. We want you to take one syringe daily for 7 days, and then back it down to every third day, back down to once weekly, and then twice monthly and then back to once monthly. Every week, we’d like to see you and take blood samples. This is all after we see if it works here in the hospital. We need to keep you for a few more days. But after that, we have thorough instructions for you with take home medication. When this works, of course.” 

“Whoa, whoa. How much will all of this cost? I mean. . .I don’t think my insurance would cover experimental treatments and. . .I can’t afford weekly visits along with blood work-” Steve began.  

Robert nodded. “I talked it over with the researchers and other management of the hospital. The blood work would be free. . .for research. And as for the experimental drugs. . .there wasn’t much we had to do in crafting them. The ingredients we used were not too pricey. . .so the price the hospital will come up with shouldn’t be terribly expensive.” He paused as he looked at Steve’s unsure face. “And. . .”

Steve looked up. 

“Off the record. . .so. . .as your friend, if you need help with finances, I. . .I know people who can help.” Robert added with a small smile. 

Steve smiled weakly. “Thank you. Um. . .what would the long term affects be on the body with these injections?” 

“We don’t really know. Since you’re the first, we don’t know the long term affects. We do know that they shouldn’t be harmful. Since the ingredients are. . .organic and from you.” He finished with a smile. “They shouldn’t be too hard on the body. . .it’s like taking a multivitamin.” 

Steve looked uncertain. 

“If the effects are bad, the hospital said they can offer free care for any side affects that come up.”

Steve looked at him. “How sure is this?” 

“In theory, it should work. We’d be surprised if it didn’t. But if that’s the case, then we are more than prepared to put everything we can into working this to make sure this is resolved.” 

Steve shook his head. “I can’t try something that’s an unsure thing.” 

Danny looked incredulously at him. “Hey.” 

“What?”

Danny looked at Robert. “Can we have a minute?” 

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be waiting at the front desk. I’ll check back in. . .5 minutes?” 

Danny nodded. 

Robert left and Danny focused back to Steve. “‘I can’t try something that’s an unsure thing?’” Danny parroted back to him. “Where’s that coming from?” 

Steve stared at him like he was stupid. “I’m not going to put myself in more jeopardy because of an unsure thing.” He shifted in his bed. 

Danny shook his head. “What is this really about?” 

Steve looked at him. “This is about me. . .not wanting to die because of some. . .unsure treatment. I don’t know Dr. Robert Young’s work. I’m sure he knows his stuff, but until I see some studies on this, I don’t want to do it.” 

“No. . .this is. . .about something else, clearly.” Danny pressed. “You are a very reckless cop. I’m sorry, but that’s just who you are. I see it, others see it. . .thats just that. This is very clearly about something else.” He watched as Steve sighed loudly and looked at his hands that fiddled together. “What’s going on?” 

Steve stayed silent for a few moments. He then sighed again. “I don’t want to be put in a vulnerable situation. . .” 

“A vulnerable situation?” Danny repeated, not understanding. 

Steve clenched onto his blanket. “I. . .I hate. . .being. . .vulnerable.” He paused as he swallowed. “It’s like. . .being uncomfortably exposed-um. . .like. . .standing in a room of strangers naked, or. . .being up against an enemy group without anything to defend myself. . .” He shook his head. “I’m not making sense, huh?” 

Danny shook his head. “Um. . .I think I follow.” 

Steve folded his arms across his chest. “I just. . .I don’t like the idea of. . .putting myself in a situation that could leave me vulnerable.” 

“Well. . .yeah. That makes sense.”

Steve looked at Danny. 

“Babe, look at your relationship with your mum. . .of course you don’t like being _emotionally_ vulnerable because the one you were first vulnerable with, or at least, the one you were supposed to be emotionally vulnerable with first. . .wasn’t there.” 

Steve took his words and thought for a moment. _It’s not. . .that simple is it?_  

“Of course, Steve, it’s not that simple. Learning to be emotionally vulnerable takes time. . .especially coming from a situation like yours. It takes time.” He paused. “And if I may be bold for a moment, you have shown great strides in being emotionally vulnerable. At least with me, you have.” Danny murmured as he looked down at Steve’s arm. “I know it’s. . .an unfamiliar thing for you, but. . .” He paused, looking back up to Steve’s face. “You’re making progress.” He said, drifting off. He was quiet for a few moments before he started again. “Now, physical vulnerability. It’s clear why you are reckless. . .you put yourself in these situations of physical vulnerability because. . .it’s your subconscious working its way through things. Painful things that you may not want to think about consciously.” He paused. “It is easy to be reckless because you are working through things, emotionally.” 

Steve took in his words and thought about them as Danny paused again, this time longer, probably giving him time to let things sink in. 

“And now, I’ll address this cure. This treatment could save your life. How long can you go with the pain and the autoimmune like issues? Your body won’t be able to keep up. These drugs can at least help, if not cure the issue.” Danny said. “A few minutes ago, we didn’t even have a treatment option. Why not give it a try?” 

Steve bit his lower lip. 

Danny looked down at his hands. “I may be speaking selfishly, but. . .” Danny paused. “I want you around. . .for a while.” He said as he looked up at Steve. 

Steve kept his gaze on the man. “You want me around for a while?” He repeated with a grin and raised eyebrows.

“Yeah!” Danny replied with a smile. “Hell, if I knew for certain, I would want you around for life.” 

“For certain?!” 

“Well, with the way you so carelessly throw around your life with the work we do, that’s what I’d go with. Somedays, you have to wonder.” Danny responded quickly, chuckling. 

Steve chuckled and shook his head. 

“But you know what I mean. . .right?” Danny asked. 

Steve smiled and offered his hand to Danny.

Danny looked down and back up at Steve as he grasped the man’s hand. 

Steve let out a small sigh. “Alright. Let’s try it.” 

Danny smiled at him and his choice. “I’ll be here when they start it, okay?”

Steve nodded with a smile. 

There was a small knock on the door which the men both turned to. 

“Come in.” Steve called. 

Robert popped his head in. “Hi, it’s me.” He said as he walked in. He approached the bed. “Do we have a decision?” 

Steve looked to Danny and back to Robert. “Let’s do it.” 

Robert smiled. “Excellent. I will make up a game plan with my team and get back to you.” He finished. 

“Thank you, doctor.” Steve said with a smile. “I appreciate the work you and the team have done to help me.” 

Robert nodded and left the room. 

Danny looked over at Steve, smiling.

Steve smiled back and leaned over the hospital bed’s railing to grasp onto Danny’s hand. 

Danny stepped towards the bed as Steve pulled his hand closer to his body. Steve seemed to be holding his hand more and more these days. Whether it was a vulnerability thing, a comfort thing, or an expression of something more, Danny was loving it.


	21. Chapter 21

“Alright, off to bed you.” 

It was 4 days after the first I.V treatment. Robert and his team had calculated out in a whole liter bag of blood, the reversal mixture, and normal saline. It was transfused and given to Steve slowly. The result was immediate. Steve’s eyes brightened, color returned to his face, the dark circles slowly diminished to smaller ones, and even Steve said his symptoms of nausea, dizziness, and abdominal pains stopped. It was a relief and exciting that the serum seemed to be working. Danny and Steve had gotten to Steve’s house from the hospital. Even though, microscopically, Steve was improving, things still tired him out. Even the drive home seemed to have been draining for Steve. Danny had been gently pushing Steve towards his staircase when he had told Steve to head off to bed. 

“Danny, I’m fine. I figured I’d. . .stay awake for a bit.” 

“Doing what?” 

Steve shrugged as he stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to Danny. “Maybe. . .clean a bit?” 

“Steve, come on. You have to take it easy. And you look exhausted. Robert, as well as the other doctors, said to rest. And you need to do so.” 

Steve moved to the couch and patted the top of it as he stood behind it. “Danny. . .I’m not that tired. And what’s better, being productive or just sitting in bed, waiting for sleep?” 

“Sitting in bed, waiting for sleep. Steve. . .you have a serious issue with this condition you have. . .you need to be careful.” 

“But Danny-”

“Steve, you need to rest and take it easy.” He paused as he turned to the door. “Okay.” He paused for several moments. “Okay, it would probably be better for you to do that if I’m not. . .in your space, riling you up, so, I’ll be going now, okay? So. . .go upstairs, get some rest. . .and I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Steve couldn’t think beyond the anxiety that came down hard on him. The thought of Danny leaving right now was creating all sorts of fears and stress. Steve wished he wouldn’t leave. He didn’t want to be alone. He didn’t want to be _left_ alone. 

Danny had seen his expression. “Steve, I’m just 10 minutes away. If you need anything, I’m only a phone call away. You need rest. . .peace. . .quiet. And, arguably it’s better for you to relax and rest if you are by yourself.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Steve mumbled under his breath as he clenched his fists against the couch. 

Danny turned to him, surprised at his tone. “What?” 

Steve shook himself. _No, it’s not fair to ask Danny to stay._ “Nothing.” He said with a small smile. He stepped over to Danny. “Thank you for everything. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Danny gazed at him as Steve patted his arm and turned to the kitchen. 

Steve suppressed every need to turn back around and beg Danny to stay. Danny had done so much for him already. Steve couldn’t ask for more from Danny. . .that would be too selfish.

“I’ll show myself out.” Danny murmured. For whatever reason, he felt disappointment cloud over him. He reasoned with himself though. _Steve is tired. He is still sick. He needs to mend on his terms. I can’t stay with him forever. I’m tired. . .I need to go home and rest so I don’t get sick. . .he needs to be by himself. He’s had people crowding around him the past several days._

Danny opened the front door. “Bye!” He said lightly. He didn’t hear Steve call back but closed the door and began to walk to his car. 

Steve heard Danny’s call as he stood at the kitchen sink. “Bye.” He said quietly as he heard the door close. He gritted his teeth as he stood at the sink. The painful realization that he was alone began to sink in. He took in a deep breath. _I’ll be okay. . .right?_

Danny slowly walked to his car. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and stopped as he pressed the button to unlock his car. He opened the driver’s side door. He hesitated and looked back up at the house. _He’ll be okay. . .right?_ Danny hesitated for a moment more. He sighed and shook his head. He knew what he had to do. 

Steve sighed and grabbed a glass. He filled it with water, drank it, set it down on the counter, and went out to sit in front of the T.V. for a little while. As he was heading out of the kitchen, he heard soft taps on the front door. Steve furrowed his brows and headed back to the door. Steve opened the door. 

Danny stood on the front steps. He turned at the door opening. “Hey.” He said simply. 

Steve grinned. “Hey.” 

Danny looked to his right and down to the ground. 

“Long time, no see.” Steve joked with a small smile. 

Danny looked up at him and gave him a small chuckle. “Look, things seem. . .off.” He paused. “Are. . .are you going to be okay?” He said, watching Steve’s reaction. 

Steve stepped forward. “Danny, I. . .” Steve stopped. 

Danny tilted his head. 

Steve swallowed. “I’ll be okay.” He nodded with the best smile he could muster. It felt fake. 

Danny gazed at Steve. “Steve. . .I’m a father. . .and a detective. . .both have trained me in the art of detection. . .somewhat.” He chuckled thinking back to his failed detection of Steve as a dog. “You are not convincing me with that fake smile.” 

Steve sucked in a deep breath. “Danny, in the hospital. . .” He paused. “I don’t think you know how much you kept me going. Things always got better when you came around.”

Danny smiled softly with furrowed brows. 

“And. . .” Steve looked to the ground. “You know it’s. . .it’s hard for me to. . .express my needs. But I guess right now, I. . .” He paused. “I need _you_. . .I need you _here_.” He continued to look away, embarrassed about the situation. 

Danny softly gazed at him. He didn’t feel irritated, or angry, or upset. He actually felt sympathy towards the man that looked away from him. He felt a love exude from within himself for the man. _He feels like he’s been on his own for so long. . ._

“Danny. . .” Steve paused. “Please. . .stay here tonight. . .” He drifted off, with the words _with me_ hanging on his lips. He couldn’t help but feel so foolish for even asking.

Danny placed a hand on Steve’s arm. “Hey.”

Steve looked up at him miserably. 

“I’ll stay.”

Steve smiled weakly at him. “You will?” 

Danny nodded. “Yeah.” 

Steve continued his weak smile. “Thank you.” 

Danny nodded. “Yeah, of course. Don’t feel bad for asking, either.” He checked his watch. “According to my watch, you are due for an injection.” 

“Ugh.” Steve sighed and moved aside to let Danny back in. “I hate shots.” 

Danny chuckled as he moved across the threshold of the door. He moved to the prescription bag. “Mr. SEAL hates shots?” Danny asked as he picked up the bag on the table near the door and grabbed a single syringe. 

“Yes! Well, I hate giving them to myself.” Steve answered. 

“Well, how about I give it to you?” Danny asked.

Steve nodded as he closed the front door. “Okay.” 

Danny walked to the kitchen, pulled some rubbing alcohol from a cabinet, grabbed a rag, and walked back into the living room. 

“Where do you want it?” Danny asked as he poured some of the rubbing alcohol on to the rag. 

“Left, please.” Steve said as he sat on the couch. 

Danny rubbed an area on Steve’s arm. He placed the rag down on the table beside him. He opened the needle and went to inject it into Steve’s arm. 

“Wait!” Steve said. 

Danny paused, looking at him and still holding onto his arm. 

“Maybe, it’d be better if we did it in the kitchen. More light, you know.” Steve said, eyeing the needle, slightly nervous. 

“Steve, it’s a 30 gauge needle, I don’t think you’d be able to feel it all that much. This area is muscle. This injection is supposed to be given intramuscular.”

“I know, I know. But. . .just to be sure. . .maybe some light will help you.” Steve pointed out. 

Danny looked at him with a blank look. He moistened his lips as he leaned over to his right and turned on a lamp that sat next to the couch. 

Steve watched him with a nervousness in his eyes. 

“Steve, this won’t hurt that much. I know it’s. . .scary, but it’ll be over in 5 seconds.” Danny said, moving to Steve’s arm again. 

“Danny!” Steve started again moving away from the needle.

“Steve! Come on!” Danny spoke with a small alarm at the man’s fidgeting. He sighed and stood up. He placed his knees on either side of Steve’s outer thighs. He sat in his lap easily. 

Steve was taken aback by the action as Danny sat against his groin, gently rubbing up against it unintentionally. He stopped moving and kept his hands up. As surprised as he was, he had not noticed the small stick of the needle into his arm and the almost red-purply fluid injected into his arm. He kept his gaze on Danny’s face as the man focused on the needle and the syringe. He moved his right hand to Danny’s left thigh. 

Danny took the needle out of Steve’s arm and capped it, throwing the empty syringe on the table behind him. “There. See. Nothing. . .” He looked at Steve. The man was gazing intently at him. “. . .to it.” Danny finished as he gazed back. 

Steve licked his lower lip and looked to Danny’s lips. “Danny, um. . .we never really. . .talked about that night. . .in the bathtub. . .and then in the cave. . .and then in hospital. . .” He finished, completely in a trance by the man’s blue eyes. He placed his left hand on Danny’s right thigh. 

Danny slowly nodded as he kept eye contact. “You’re right, we haven’t.” 

Steve blinked slowly. “So. . .”

“So. . .” Danny echoed. 

“Where do we go from. . .here?” Steve asked as he moved his hands down Danny’s thighs and back up them. 

Danny placed his hands on Steve’s arms and trailed up the defined, muscled arms to his shoulders, careful to not apply too much pressure on his left. He leaned in slightly closer. “You tell me.” 

Steve took in a breath as Danny placed his forehead against his own. He stared momentarily at the vast blue orbs that captivated his soul. Inches from the man’s lips, he breathed in and out as he felt Danny’s breath on his lips. It tickled. _Fuck, that’s such a turn on._ “Danny.” He whispered gently.

“Steve.” Danny whispered back. He swallowed and closed his eyes. There was a momentary pause as Danny felt the man’s hands on his thighs. Steve leaned in and closed the distance by placing his lips against Danny’s. Danny held Steve’s face with his hands and kept him close as his hips began with small movements against Steve’s pelvis. Steve moved his hands to Danny’s back, keeping him close and holding him tight. 

They stayed against each other’s lips, enjoying the softness and the feeling of each other’s lips. Steve loved how gentle Danny could be. The man’s easy touch and hold on Steve’s cheeks made him feel light and delicate. He enjoyed the feeling. . .almost making him feel like a porcelain doll. 

Danny felt full of passion. It was one thing to have _things_ be passionate. . .like a kiss or a touch to the cheek. But _he_ felt passionate. He felt new. Like his soul was awakening for the first time in years. In his life. As he kissed Steve, goosebumps spread like wildfire along his skin. 

Steve grabbed at Danny’s ass as he felt Danny arch his back and pop his ass out.

Danny’s insides jumped at the squeeze of his ass. _Holy hell, that’s hot._ Danny sucked in a breath against Steve’s lips. Danny broke from Steve’s lips, a question biting at his curiosity. “Steve. . .are we. . .are we seriously doing this?” Danny asked against Steve’s lips.

Steve grinned as he leaned in closer and met his lips. While his insides soared, Steve felt unsure. He was sick. Or at least, he was recovering. What if. . .something bad happened? During? Or when that surge of energy exploded from his own hormone levels change drastically and cause something. . .bad. 

Danny broke from his lips to look at him, his groin still throbbing and his heart pounding. “Something. . .wrong?” 

Steve stared into his eyes. “No. . .well. . .not now, but. . .what if. . .what if-” Steve stopped abruptly. He was being silly. Or was he? He had a right to worry. He had a right to worry about the so called antidote. He had every right to be worried. 

Danny tilted his head, trying to read Steve’s face. “Steve?” 

Steve met his gaze once more and let out a sigh. “I don’t want. . .something bad to happen.” 

Danny shook his head with a grin. “Something bad to happen?” He parroted back. 

Steve shrugged. “Like. . .temperature changes. . .hormones and-and. . .other. . .changes.” 

Danny nodded once. “Oh.” 

“Yeah. . .” Steve said awkwardly. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Danny.” He shifted a little closer, placing his arms around Danny’s waist. “It’s just. . .” He paused. “I worry, you know?” 

Danny nodded and placed his forearm on the back of the couch. “I guess. . .” He smirked and shook his head. 

Steve grinned. “What?” He chuckled. 

Danny shook his head again. “I guess I didn’t think about that.” 

Steve continued to grin. “What, my charms too great for you? Do they. . .cloud your mind?”

Danny chuckled. “No.” He murmured shyly. 

Steve chuckled and brushed his nose against Danny’s. “When I’m better. . .when this works for certain. . .maybe. . .” He drifted off. 

Danny smiled lightly. “That’s when.” He confirmed. 

Steve smiled back at him. He leaned in a little closer and placed a last gently kiss on his lips. “Thank you for understanding.” 

“Of course. I’m. . .I’m sorry for. . .not thinking of that.” Danny smiled softly at him as he trailed his fingers along the frame of Steve’s face.

Steve turned and kissed Danny’s hand that was near his face. “You’re fine.” 

Danny smiled at the kiss. “I bet you’re tired.”

Steve nodded, his eyes blinking sleepily. “Yeah. I’m a little tired.” 

Danny smiled. “I’ll help you to bed then.” He moved off the man’s lap and stood in front of him, offering his hands. 

Steve took his hands. “You’re staying, right?” 

Danny gazed at him. “Yeah.” 

Steve smiled. “With me?” 

“You mean. . .in your bed?” Danny asked with a smile. 

Steve nodded, feeling heat in his cheeks as he grinned shyly. 

“Come on, then.” Danny murmured as he pulled Steve to his feet and kept a hand grasped onto Steve’s. 

They climbed up the stairs together and walked down the hallway into Steve’s room. They broke hands as they went to either side of the bed. Danny took the top of the covers and pulled it back slightly. He looked up at Steve. 

Steve had taken his shirt he was wearing and grasped it at the bottom near his waist. He pulled it up and over his head, throwing it at a laundry basket near his bathroom door. 

Danny blushed in the dark as he looked over the man’s bare chest. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he looked away. 

Steve looked up as he grabbed his corner of the bed sheets and stood in his shorts. “Get comfortable, Danno.” He murmured. 

Danny looked up at him as watched Steve slip under the covers and look at him, waiting for Danny to make a move. Danny still gazed at him and pulled off his shirt like Steve had done a few moments earlier. He undid his pant buckle and let his pants drop to the ground. He stepped out of them and pulled the covers back before kneeling on the bed. 

“You look good in dark boxers.” Steve whispered as he fiddled with the blanket, looking away from Danny. 

Danny grinned as he laid on his back and pulled the covers over him. “Thanks.” He chuckled. 

Steve moved closer to Danny. “Turn around.” He said. 

Danny grinned as he did so. “Commander McGarrett likes to cuddle? I never would have guessed.” 

Steve chuckled into his ear. “Only with a certain Jersey detective. And. . .it’s not like it’s in my files.” He murmured as he nuzzled Danny’s neck before resting his head on the pillow.

Danny chuckled as he felt Steve’s arms around his waist. He moved his hand and found Steve’s. He interlaced his fingers with Steve’s. Danny breathed steadily and gently, taking in the situation. “I never thought. . .we’d be _here_.” Danny whispered. 

“Where? Here on my bed?” Steve asked with a grin. 

“Well, yeah.” He paused. “And. . .together.” 

“We’re together?” Steve asked. 

Danny’s stomach dropped. “Well. . .only if you agree.” 

Steve smiled. 

Danny waited for Steve to say something. When he didn’t, he spoke again. “. . .do you agree?” 

Steve smiled again as he rubbed his nose in Danny’s hair. He drifted over to his ear. “What do you think?” He asked as he lowered his lips to Danny’s neck, kissing it gently. 

The kiss made Danny’s body erupt with goosebumps. He shivered as he grinned at the feel of Steve’s lips against his skin. He could feel the velvety touches to the tendons on muscles in his neck. 

“Does this answer your question?” Steve whispered against his neck. 

Danny turned his body to look up at Steve as the man shifted to look down at him. He gazed up lovingly at Steve. He reached up and placed a hand to his face. He gently stroked Steve’s cheek, gazing into the sparkling hazel eyes. 

Steve closed his eyes momentarily at the touch. He leaned into the touch and placed his lips against Danny’s palm. He opened his eyes and gazed into beautiful orbs of vast blueness. 

Danny became overwhelmed with a rushing feeling. He felt it in his chest. . .in his mind. . .in his heart. His chest tightened. His lower lip quivered as he swallowed hard, taking notice of how hard it was. 

Steve saw the change in Danny’s demeanor. He furrowed his brows as Danny’s hand fell away from his face. “Danno? What’s wrong?” 

Danny closed his eyes as he felt them water. A happiness and a sense of belonging overwhelmed him. He grinned, trying to shrug everything off. “Um. . .” He reached up and rubbed his eye. He let out a nervous chuckle. “Nothing. . .I’m just tired.” 

Steve stared at him as he opened his eyes. “Danny. . .I. . .” This was a moment in which he had been at a loss for words. He felt like he perhaps knew what Danny was thinking about. He felt it too. In his chest. . .with his mind. . .in his heart. . .

With his heart. . .

“I love you.” Steve whispered. He shook his head minimally as he stared into Danny’s eyes. Almost like he couldn’t believe it. He let out a rushed breath before continuing with a whisper. “God. . .I’m so in love with you.” 

Danny stared at him and took in a breath as he heard the words. He swallowed hard as he blinked and felt a tear run down from the corner of his eye down to his ear. “I love you, too.” He whispered. 

Steve smiled softly and leaned closer, pausing momentarily to brush his nose along Danny’s. He chuckled softly before placing his lips gently against Danny’s. 

Danny reached up and placed his hands on the back of Steve’s neck. He fiddled with the man’s hairs that rested at the base of his hairline.

They broke and stared into each other’s eyes. 

Danny was the first to let his shyness get the best of him and looked down. 

Steve nuzzled his nose with his own and gave a small kiss to Danny’s jawline. “You okay?” 

Danny nodded. “I guess I can’t get over how much I am in love with you.” 

Steve smiled softly. “Been there for a while, and yet. . .it comes up so instantly.” 

Danny nodded. “For me, it happens when I look into your eyes.” He mumbled. "That sounded so cheesy." He cringed.

Steve shook his head. “No, it's sweet.” He paused. “I feel the same. It, uh. . .” He shook his head, looking away from Danny for a second before looking back. “It feels like home.”  

Danny smiled at him.

Steve leaned closer and put another kiss on Danny’s lips. Neither of them knew what would happen to them, but they both knew that they loved each other. They had fallen hard for each other.  


	22. Chapter 22

It was several weeks later. Danny had been sitting on Steve’s beach for about 20 minutes. He had watched the sun dip behind the horizon, into the sea, not to be seen again until the following morning. The orange and yellow hue of the sky kissed the water, making everything seem dream like. Danny had noticed the stars beginning to come out behind him to the East. While it was a beautiful view, Danny could not get past his impatience. _Where is Steve?_ He stood up and brushed the sand off his backside and walked to the house. Steve had texted him to go to his backyard and wait for him. The day had been a crazy one with the case at work and, hopefully, the last of Steve’s doctor appointments for a while. 

Danny walked to the house and went to sit at the front steps. He slowly made his way around the side of the house, dodging the few plants that hung over the path. 

Suddenly, Danny’s stomach dropped as he felt hands around his waist. 

“Boo!” 

Danny grinned as he recognized the voice. “Shit, Steve, you scared me.” 

Steve laughed. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” 

Danny turned as Steve let go of him. “What did the doctor say? And Robert?” 

Steve grinned at him and took his hands with his own. “They said I’m clear for work and other physical labors.” 

Danny grinned at him. “That’s great news.” 

Steve nodded. “So. . .I was thinking. . .in celebration. . .” He leaned closer, his eyes dreamy and sparkled in the dimming light of night. “We could. . .” He was close now. Close to Danny’s face. It made Danny grin at the move. His chest and stomach clenched in excitement. “Do some physical labors of our own.” He said in a whisper. 

Danny looked at him with uncertainty. “Are-are you sure? I mean. . .” 

Steve smiled at him. “I specifically asked about it. And I was told I could.” 

Danny grinned as excitement continued to fill him. “You did?”

“As awkward as it was, yes. I did.” He paused. “I was going to surprise you a different way, but. . .I was running late.” Steve murmured. 

“Oh. Do you want to show me. . .how you were going to surprise me?” Danny asked. 

Steve grinned. “You want to see?” 

Danny grinned, searching his face. “Yeah?” 

“Okay, come on.” Steve took his hand and led him inside through the back door. He closed it and moved to go upstairs. “Make yourself comfortable.” 

Danny grinned as he watched the man go up the stairs. He moved over to the living room couch. He sat for about two minutes, wondering what Steve could possibly be doing to surprise him. Danny was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard movement on the stairs. He turned and stood up from the couch, taking in the man as he stepped down the stairs. 

There was Steve. . .wearing nothing but a white towel. 

Danny held his breath as Steve looked over to him and undid the towel, letting it drop to the ground. 

“Steve. . .” Danny whispered out as Steve slowly made his way to him. “Oh, wow.” He murmured as he looked up and down the body. 

Steve smiled. “Like your surprise?” He asked in a whisper. 

Danny took in a steady breath as he gazed at the man’s bronzy, naked body. “Um. . .yeah.” He let out a small chuckle. He looked away, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. 

“You’re not going to get all embarrassed now, are you?” Steve asked with a smile as he moved even closer to Danny. 

“No.” Danny said with a grin and still flaming cheeks. 

“I see your cheeks are still pink.” Steve murmured with a grin and he moved in close. “Come here.” He whispered as he placed his hands to Danny’s cheeks, cupping them gently. He placed his lips against Danny’s, making Danny hold his breath and shudder as a surge of arousal ran through him. 

Danny held the man close, moving a hand to gently grasp onto one of the hands that held his cheek and his other hand moved across the man’s bare back to the bare hip. “Your confidence is. . .” Danny drifted off against his lips. 

“Inspiring? Sexy?” Steve fished for the answer, placing his lips against Danny’s once more. 

“Very sexy, very inspiring, but also. . .slightly unexpected?” Danny said with a smile against the velvety lips. 

Steve broke and looked at the man. “That must be part of whatever mixture was in the reversal. Improvement with vitamin intake or. . .spike of hormones or something.” He smiled lightly. “So. . .do you want to. . .” Steve drifted down Danny’s body. “Go upstairs and. . .” His hands drifted down Danny’s sides and behind him. 

Danny grinned with parted lips. He took in a gasp as he felt the fingers roll down his back. _Oh, shit._

Steve gave a small squeeze of Danny’s ass. “Make my bed a mess?” He paused as Danny smiled easily. He leaned into Danny’s ear. He grasped onto Danny’s ass again.  

Danny breathed in as Steve inched closer and breathed in and out against his neck. Danny grinned and bit his lower lip as he felt the soft lips against his neck. The lovely lips tickled his neck and he moved his hands around the man’s back, grasping onto the man’s shoulder blades as Steve started sucking on his neck. 

“You taste so good.” Steve murmured against his neck. 

Danny chuckled. “What do I taste like?”  

Steve hummed. “Just like Danny.” 

Danny chuckled again. “Thank you?” 

Steve grinned as he kissed the man’s neck. “So. . .what do you say?” 

Danny gritted his teeth at feeling the wisps on his neck. “Let’s go.” He whispered in a rush, gripping on to Steve’s back. 

Steve let out a small breath against Danny’s neck, relieved that Danny wanted to do it.

Danny felt this. He smiled. “Relieved I said yes?” 

Steve chuckled into his neck. “Maybe a little.” 

Danny chuckled with him. “Did you think I’d say no?” 

Steve bit his lip and looked down Danny’s covered chest. “I don’t know.” 

Danny pulled him away. He searched his face. “Even after your bath? After the cave, the. . .hospital, your couch. . .that night in your bed?” 

Steve shrugged. “Stupid, I know-”

“Silly, maybe, yes, but. . .not stupid. Just. . .silly. You’re silly, Steven.” Danny grinned. 

Steve grinned back at him. 

Danny searched his face, mainly looking at his lips. “Let’s go.” 

Steve grinned again and his lips landed on Danny’s. He took the man’s hands, grasping them and interweaving his fingers with Danny’s. He dropped one hand and pulled from Danny’s lips to look at him and smile. 

Danny leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against Steve’s. “Let’s go.” He repeated.

Steve smiled and led the way up his stairs. 

Once in his room, Danny became the aggressor, pushing Steve to lay on his back on the bed, allowing Danny to tower over him. Steve breathed easily through smiling lips as Danny placed his lips softly against Steve’s. 

Danny had climbed onto the bed and straddled him. He arched his back, pushing his hips against Steve’s pelvis. 

His bare pelvis.

Danny took his hands and found Steve’s. He grabbed the man’s hands and interweaved his fingers with Steve’s. He placed the man’s hands above his head. 

Steve tilted his head back against the bed. “Yes.” He whispered with closed eyes. 

Danny grinned at his whispered word. He leaned over Steve’s body and his lips landed against Steve’s neck. 

Steve gasped. Steve gritted his teeth as Danny continued to his assault on his neck. It tickled. It made him shiver and grin. He resisted the need to laugh out loud. “Danny. . .” He breathed out. 

Danny smiled against his neck as he continued his assault. His hands disconnected with Steve’s. He shifted his weight and moved his right thigh to settle in between Steve’s legs. He took his left hand and moved his arm underneath Steve’s right arm. He then moved his right hand and caressed Steve’s left leg, moving it down from the man’s knee to his hip. Through all this, he still managed to keep his kisses to Steve’s neck. 

Steve breathed loudly. He suppressed a shiver as he felt Danny’s fingers brush against his leg. He clenched his hands above his head as he felt the tickling sensations at the 2 points of his body. 

Danny turned his head to kiss the man’s left bicep and then moved down to his left pec. He pushed himself up and began to unbutton his shirt. 

Steve watched as the man undid his shirt. He sat up and worked on the man’s belt, unbuckling it and quickly pulling it away. Steve looked up at the man that finished unbuttoning his shirt and was working on taking it off. Danny smiled at him. Steve smiled back before kissing the area just above his belly button and he began to fiddle with the man’s pants. 

Danny grinned as he shrugged his shirt off and tossed it off to the side of the bed on the ground. 

Steve had managed to unbutton and unzip the man’s pants. He leaned in again and kissed the man’s midsection. 

Danny grinned and flexed his abdominal muscles. It tickled, but it felt so good to feel Steve’s lips on his body. He placed his hands gently on Steve’s shoulders and moved one hand to curl around his head. 

Steve grinned as he felt Danny’s hand and the man’s abdominal movements as he continued to kiss the man’s stomach. 

Danny let go of the man and wiggled his pants down. His pants rested at his knees. 

Steve grasped onto the band of the dark boxers the man had on. He stopped his kissing and began to pull them down. 

_Wait._ Danny wanted to say, but he didn’t. He gasped in as Steve inched the boxers down more. 

Steve unclothed the organ that stuck out straight, obviously, completely aroused by the events that were happening. He grinned at the organ that bounced as Danny breathed in and out. “Oh, god.” Steve whispered as he drew closer. He wrapped his hand around Danny’s throbbing hard dick, which emitted heat. “Finally.” He whispered as he grinned and he looked up at Danny. 

Danny let out a small chuckle. “You like?” 

“Oh, my god, Danny.” Steve murmured as he looked back down at the dick that he held and began to stroke. “I. . .” Needless to say, he was speechless. 

Danny bit his lower lip and let out shuddered gasps. 

Steve shook his head. “Lay down.” He rushed out, pushing Danny to his side and flipping over to kneel over him. 

Danny settled on his back and looked up at Steve, waiting for Steve to take action. 

Steve wrestled Danny’s bottoms completely off him. After throwing the pants behind him, he gazed at Danny. The man was naked. . .completely naked. . .beautifully naked. Steve couldn’t help himself as he rushed down to Danny’s body, kissing him everywhere he possibly could. His pecs, his chest, his mid section, down to the man’s pubic area. He took Danny’s dick and stroked it gently a few times. He looked up and inched closer with his mouth. “What would you do if I. . .” He stuck out his tongue and breathed on the head of aroused organ. 

It was warm. . .pleasant. . .enticing. . .and so hot. Danny dropped his jaw and gasped out loudly. 

Steve grinned at the man’s reaction. “If I just. . .” He took his tongue and gave a small lick on the head of Danny’s dick. 

Danny brought a hand to his head, running his hand through his hair. He let out a small groan. His body shivered. “Oh, Steve. Please.” He whispered. 

Steve chuckled. He gave into Danny’s plea and enveloped the hardened organ with his mouth. 

Danny hitched his hips forward and the feel of Steve’s mouth. “Oh, god.” He whispered. 

Steve sucked on the dick, playing at the underside of the shaft with his tongue. He closed his eyes and listened to Danny’s small gasps, moans, and sighs as he continued to play with the man’s aroused cock. 

Danny’s body felt like it was vibrating. . .close to floating. Steve knew just how to stroke and touch his body. It was everything Danny ever wanted. 

Everything that he ever needed. 

It was like. . .someone calling to you as the Hawaiian wind whispered into your ear. Like the sun shinning down on you, warming you. . .from the inside out. Like waves washing over you. . .consuming you in their gentle embrace. 

And even now, as Steve’s fingertips only grazed lightly along Danny’s thigh, Danny could only lay in awe at the sensations Steve was creating within him. 

Steve came off Danny’s cock with a little pop, humming as he tilted the organ to look at it. He smiled at the lovely shade of red it was. He dipped down and took one of Danny’s testicles in his mouth. 

Danny huffed out and moaned as he felt a thrilling, whooshing feeling in his groin area. “When are you going to let me at yours?” Danny asked with a grin. 

Steve chuckled as he sucked on the testicle. “You’ll have to tear me away from your lovely package.” 

Danny chuckled. “Lovely?” He paused, thinking about the compliment. “I’m flattered.” 

“Only speaking truths.” Steve said with a smile as he looked up into Danny’s radiant blue eyes. 

Danny’s chest clenched with desire. He sat up and grabbed Steve’s face, pulling him close. Their lips met quickly. Danny chuckled lightly against Steve’s lips, making Steve smile and chuckle with him. 

“Oh, come here.” Danny breathed as he gently moved Steve to lay on his back.

Steve chuckled as his back met the bed again. He grinned up at Danny as the man towered over him and stared into his eyes. Steve brought a hand to Danny’s jawline and gently held it there as Danny inched closer to the man’s lips. They’re lips connected and Danny settled against Steve’s body. 

Danny and Steve quietly kissed each other for a while, brushing their lips together, letting their tongues touch occasionally. It was like slipping into a trance. A sleepy trance. 

“Oh, god, if I don’t get moving on you, I’m going to fall asleep.” Danny grinned. 

Steve smiled. “Me too.” He paused. “You’re so dreamy.” 

Danny chuckled. “Dreamy?” 

Steve hummed with a smile. “Mmm. Dreamy.” 

Danny chuckled again as he kissed the man’s cheek. “Alright. Let’s see what we have here.” He murmured as he lifted himself up off the man’s body and looked down. 

Steve grinned and folded his arms behind his head. 

Danny got to the organ that seemed as aroused as his own. “Mmmm.” Danny hummed out. He took the long cock in his hand. He stroked its length a few times. 

The strokes made Steve shudder in delight. “God, that feels good.” 

Danny chuckled. “You _will_ be saying that again, I’m sure of it.” 

Steve chuckled with him. 

Danny smiled as he tilted the cock at different angles. He licked the head, near the underside of the shaft and paused as he felt it tense under his soft grip. 

Steve gasped out at the lick. “Do it.” Steve murmured. 

“Is that an order. . .Commander?” Danny asked as he licked the head again. 

Steve let out a small groan. “No, it’s a plea.” He said with a grin. 

“I didn’t hear a ‘please.’” Danny murmured with another lick. 

“Please!” Steve smiled. “Danno. . .” He whispered. 

Danny stopped and looked up at Steve. 

Steve stared back. “Please. . .” He whispered. 

Danny took in a breath and encased his mouth around the aroused organ. He inched his way down and slowly back up the shaft. 

“Ohhhh. . .” Steve groaned out. “Fffuh-that’s good.”

Danny bobbed a few more times before coming off and swallowing. He stroked the organ and glanced up at Steve before looking back. He wetted his pointer finger with his mouth and slowly found Steve’s hole. 

Steve widened his eyes. “Danny!” He exclaimed as he felt a slightly uncomfortable pressure. 

Danny withdrew. “Sorry. Too unexpected?” 

Steve huffed out a breath. “Well, yeah, just tell me where you’re going.” He chuckled lightly. “Lube’s in the drawer.” 

Danny looked over to the bedside table. He leaned over and pulled open the drawer. He saw the lube and grabbed it, closing the drawer and sitting on his legs. He opened the lube and squeezed a good helping on the tips of his fingers. He lubed his fingers and closed the bottle, tossing it next to them. “I’m going back.” Danny said with a grin, looking at the man’s groin momentarily before looking down further. 

Steve smiled. “Okay.” 

Danny gently massaged Steve’s opening. He then took his pointer finger and slowly slipped inside Steve. 

Steve smiled as he relaxed as the finger moved in him. 

Danny slowly curled his finger upwards in a ‘come hither’ motion. He grinned as he did so and took Steve’s dick in his other hand. He began to slowly stroke as he continued his finger movements. 

Steve’s jaw dropped slightly as he felt a new pleasure ooze through his body. 

“Like that?” Danny asked he looked at the expression on Steve’s face. 

Steve nodded. “Yeah!” He gasped out. 

Danny bit his lower lip and grinned. “Want me to keep doing that?” 

Steve nodded in desperation. “Yeah. . .so good.” He breathed out. 

Danny grinned. “I’m adding another finger.” 

Steve waited as Danny withdrew and he felt slightly more pressure as the other finger was introduced. 

Just as Steve had let out a hum of pleasure, Danny leapt at his cock with his mouth. 

Steve let out another gasp and moaned as Danny bobbed quickly. “Danny!” 

Danny moaned as he bobbed and moved his fingers in Steve quickly. 

Steve moved his hips up as he felt everything at once. “Oh, god! Danny!” He spoke forcefully. “Fuck yeah!” 

It went on for a short while. Steve’s arousal was mounting like no other. He could feel it from deep within him. It was different from all the other times. Sure it had been awhile, but. . .Danny was doing something to him. Something he didn’t clearly understand. 

But he wanted to. 

He desired to understand the man that sat before him. 

“You better save yourself and get going.” Steve murmured.

Danny stopped bobbing and came off Steve’s dick to look at him. 

“You got me so turned on right now, baby.” Steve murmured. 

Danny grinned. “Baby?” He paused. He liked that word coming from Steve. 

“Yeah, baby. . .” Steve paused. “Is that. . .weird for you to hear?” 

Danny shook his head. “No. It’s. . .it’s actually really nice to hear. . .baby.”

Steve smiled and chuckled lightly. 

Danny withdrew his fingers and inched himself closer to Steve. 

Steve grinned as Danny leaned over his body and their lips met in a small kiss. 

Danny removed himself from Steve’s lips and sat back on his legs. He took Steve’s leg and propped it up on his shoulder.  

Danny grabbed the lube that sat next to them. He squeezed a small bit of lube from the bottle to his hand and stroked himself a few times. He had lubed himself up well. He turned and used the rest of the lube to stroke Steve’s dick a few times and then ran his fingers along Steve’s opening. He felt ready. 

They both did. 

Danny rested his head against Steve’s leg that rested against his shoulder. He guided his dick into Steve easily and gently. As he did so, he glanced up at Steve. 

Steve was holding his breath. His eyes were closed, his face was turning red, and Danny could see the veins bulging from the man’s neck and forehead. 

“Steve, you need to breathe.” Danny chuckled as he moved his hand from his dick to Steve’s thigh to stroke it comfortingly. 

Steve exhaled forcefully and opened his eyes. “I know, I know.” He said quickly. “I don’t know why, but holding my breath seemed to help.” 

“Did it really?” 

“‘Seemed’ being the key word there.” Steve huffed out. 

Danny grinned. 

“Please. . .” 

Danny rose his eyebrows as he looked into the momentarily unsure hazel eyes.

“Be slow to start.” 

Danny nodded. “Of course. I’ll take it slow.” 

Steve huffed out several breaths. He felt comforted by the man’s words. 

Danny saw the uncertainty in Steve’s eyes dissipate. He smiled as he turned to kissed the man’s leg near his mid calf. 

Steve smiled softly as Danny put his leg down to the bed and moved to tower over him. He bit his lower lip as he felt uncomfortable pressure in his ass. “Keep your hips still for a sec longer.” He huffed out. 

Danny nodded. “Yep.” He placed his elbows on the bed and leaned over Steve’s body. 

Steve took in a breath through his nose as he closed his eyes. He let it out through his mouth as he felt Danny’s lips on his neck. He sucked in a breath quickly and exhaled again as he felt Danny’s hand close around his dick. He bit his lower lip as Danny began to stroke him. “Oh, Danny.” He whispered gently. 

Danny’s lips wandered along his neck. He had a difficult time keeping his hips still, but for Steve’s sake, he did. 

Steve placed his hands on Danny’s back. He ran his fingers up the muscled shoulder blades and then down the man’s back to his ass. He gave the cheeks a squeeze before going back up his back. “God, Danny. That’s so good.” He paused. He rocked slightly against Danny’s body. “Move now, please.” He breathed out. 

Danny let out a small breath against Steve’s neck and obliged. He moved to look into Steve’s eyes as he slowly pushed into him. 

Steve let out small moan as he felt pleasure ooze throughout his body, sourcing from his ass, where Danny was most likely easily and slowly hitting his prostate. His eyes rolled back as he closed them. 

Danny slowly thrusted into Steve. His hands clenched onto the blankets and he continued to look at Steve’s face. 

Steve slowly opened his eyes. He gazed up at Danny. He felt his hands start to shake against Danny’s back. 

Danny felt the man’s hands. “You okay?” He asked as he continued to thrust slowly. 

Steve sucked in a breath. He nodded. “Yeah.” He paused. “You feel so good.” 

Danny grinned. “You do too.” He murmured. 

Steve dropped his lower jaw. “Faster Danny.” His hands dropped to settle on Danny’s biceps. He squeezed them gently. 

Danny grinned. He began to move his hips slightly faster. 

Steve tilted his head back onto the pillow. He let out a loud moan. 

The moan. . .it echoed in Danny’s ears. It was a sound of immense pleasure. Even though it was loud, it held a gentleness that bounced off the walls in the room. Danny moved slowly to Steve’s neck. 

Steve let out another moan. . .one that was not as loud as the last. He had choked out it out. . .clearly not prepared for Danny’s move. Goosebumps flooded up his body. He closed his eyes lightly. 

“I want to feel every inch of you.” Danny whispered against his neck as he kissed, licked, and lightly ran his teeth against the soft skin. 

Steve bit his lower lip into a smile. “I want the same, Danno.” He grinned. “Let me feel you.” 

Danny smiled into his neck. “Every inch?” 

Steve chuckled. “Every inch.” 

Danny buried himself into Steve as deep as he could. This caused Steve to draw a sharp breath and he continued to do so as Danny deeply thrusted into the man.

“Oh, fuck, Danny.” Steve gasped out. 

“Wanted every inch, right?” Danny whispered into his neck.

Steve chuckled. “Yeah!” He whispered. 

Danny grinned as he pulled from his neck. “How do you want it?” 

Steve bit his lower lip. “Just like this.” He whispered. 

“Yeah? You close?” 

“Yeah. If you keep doing that, it’ll make me cum.” He whispered breathlessly. 

Danny grinned. He leaned over his body and brought Steve closer to him as he kept thrusting deeply. He held onto Steve’s face and placed his lips against Steve’s. 

Steve’s body tensed. His left thigh began to twitch, moving into a shaking frenzy. “Danny!” He gasped quietly against Danny’s lips. He let out a groan that was hidden deep within him. He felt warm fluid jet out onto his mid section. A pounding coursed through his dick and his ass as Danny continued to thrust into him. “Danny. . .” Steve gasped out again as his body shook and he rolled over to his left and worked through the spasms that crept over his body.

Danny sat up and held onto Steve’s hips, keeping him straight as he continued to thrust. “Two more seconds, babe.” Danny said through gritted teeth as he felt his body approaching to the edge. He moved his hips against Steve’s ass and thrusted quickly a few more times. “Oh, shit, babe.” He gasped out and held Steve close. “S-Steve!” He felt a thrilling shooting feeling and his body shook as he felt the settling spasms from Steve tighten around his cock. He thrusted a few more times and stopped. He exhaled and turned to move Steve’s head to look at him. 

Steve felt completely spent. Almost like he was floating. He felt Danny’s hand on his neck, just below his jaw. His head was moved to look up at Danny. He moved a hand with much difficulty to Danny’s wrist. 

Danny grinned at Steve and leaned in closely. He placed his lips against Steve’s, kissing the man easily and gently. Danny smiled into the kiss and he felt Steve move his thumb up and down the arm. 

Steve rubbed Danny’s wrist with his thumb. He felt Danny rub his thumb along his jawline. He smiled into the kiss just as Danny did. 

Steve settled his hand on Danny’s cheek. 

Danny smiled. “You good?” 

Steve grinned and nodded. 

Danny sighed out as he slumped against Steve’s body. He rolled off to his right and kept his leg on Steve’s body. 

Steve sighed out. 

Danny nosed Steve’s left bicep. “You sure you’re good?” 

Steve exhaled out again. “Yeah.” He paused. “I’m just. . .taking it all in.” 

Danny smiled and kissed the bicep. 

They stayed in their positions for a long while, not saying anything just taking everything in. Steve had wrapped his arm around Danny and held him close. "I love you." He whispered, sleepily. 

Danny smiled and hummed as he kissed Steve's chest. "I love you, too." He murmured. 

After several minutes of silence, weariness overcame them both and they both drifted off into a deep sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

Danny’s eyes slowly opened to a cloudy, chilly morning. He stared off to his left as he laid on his back, his arms and legs sprawled out over and under sheets. He took in a deep breath and stretched his arms. He let out a sigh. A smile spread across his face. The wind gently blew into the room through the window that Steve had opened in the middle of the night. Danny wouldn’t admit it, but he did sleep slightly easier with hearing the crash of the waves close by. Island living is rubbing off on me. He had thought as he drifted off to sleep cuddled up close to Steve. Danny grinned at the memory. He took in another breath and let out another sigh. He glanced next to him and frowned. _Where is the animal?_ Danny gasped and jumped a little in surprise as he felt weight on the bed near his feet. 

“Morning, Danno.” Steve’s husky voice filled his ears.  

Danny had quickly looked to the foot of the bed and saw Steve pulling at the sheets. Danny gasped in a breath as cool air settled against his skin when Steve pulled the sheet off his body. “Oh.” Danny gasped out. Goosebumps trickled across his body and Steve crawled up on the bed and towered over Danny. Just like the night before. 

Danny grinned as Steve stopped. Steve lowered himself against Danny’s body. Danny’s muscles clenched in excitement as he felt Steve’s skin against his own. “Good morning, Steve.” He whispered. 

Steve smiled. “Already hard again?”

Danny backed his hips away from Steve. “Sorry.”

“No need to be.” Steve murmured. “What’s turning you on, Detective?” He asked with a grin. 

Danny grinned, his cheeks filling with a pink hue. “Um. . .the feel of your dick against my thigh?” 

Steve chuckled. 

“And I guess just you in general.” Danny continued to grin as Steve leaned his upper body closer. 

Steve hummed. “How kind of you to stroke my ego.” 

“Should I. . .stroke something else?” Danny asked.

Steve chuckled as he leaned in closer to kiss Danny. 

Needless to say the want to kiss the man was there, but Danny turned his head suddenly. “Wait. . .maybe we should wait on that kiss. . .morning breath, you know?” Danny murmured with fingers against his lips. 

“Better than dog breath. . .honestly.” Steve grinned as he shifted his body up off Danny’s, on his knees and elbows. 

Danny chuckled. 

“Come here, it doesn’t matter to me.” Steve whispered as he moved closer. He grinned as his lips met with Danny’s. His heart soared with joy as he felt the man’s lips against his own. 

Their bodies moved slightly against each other. Their lips moved, latching on more. 

Danny could feel his body reacting to Steve’s. It was just like the night before.

Intense, exciting, new. . .gentle. 

Danny chuckled. “I taste spearmint.” 

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, I just brushed my teeth.” 

Danny squirmed beneath him. “Okay, _now_ I’m slightly self conscious about my breath.” 

Steve chuckled as he kept Danny on the bed. He moved to Danny’s neck and kissed it gently and softly. 

Danny laughed at Steve’s unexpected move. His laughter settled as he moved his hips up against Steve’s. His hands drifted up and down Steve’s back, creating goosebumps along Steve’s body, making him shiver. 

“Danny. . .” Steve began breathily. “I want to. . .” He couldn’t finish the sentence. 

Danny looked at Steve with raised eyebrows. 

Steve shook his head slowly. “I want to.” He said. It felt like that’s all he could say. 

Danny grinned. 

Steve’s torso muscles jumped as he felt Danny grasp on to his dick and gave it a couple of tugs. “Oh, damn, Danny.” He grinned as he looked down.

Danny grinned. He continued to tug at the organ. 

Steve tilted his head up and bit his lower lip into a smile. He let out a pleasurable moan and looked back down. 

Danny looked down and continued to stroke. He chuckled softly. “Like that, don’t you?” 

Steve looked at him with wide eyes. “You know I do.” 

Danny bit his lower lip. “Okay, hold on, I’m sorry, I _need_ to pause this.” He said as he gently pushed on Steve’s abdomen.

Steve collapsed on the bed next to him. “Awe. Danno!” 

“Just pausing. I promise.” Danny said as he got off the bed and moved toward the bathroom. 

“Augh.” Steve murmured. “I’ll be waiting for your return.” 

Danny grinned as he walked to the bathroom and out of sight. 

Steve took the chance to flip over on his back. He began to slowly stroke himself, thinking about the night before. He remembered that feeling of complete bliss as he came with Danny continuing to thrust into him. _Oh god. . .so wonderful. . ._ Steve smiled. A thought came into his mind. _I wonder what it would be like if I were to fuck Danny? Would he let me do it?_ Steve sucked in a breath at the thought. He stroked himself a little slower. _Shit, I think that would be the hottest thing he could offer. . ._

Steve heard the bathroom door open and footsteps on the ground approaching the bed. He looked up and saw the man grinning as he kneeled on the bed. “Back already?” Steve asked. 

“Oh, did you need to finish by yourself?” Danny asked, gesturing to his hand that was still stroking his own dick. 

“No. . .I was. . .continuing what you started?” Steve said with a grin. 

Danny laughed. “Do you want me to finish?”

Steve nodded. “I think I’d like that.” 

Danny grinned as he crawled closer and batted Steve’s hand away. After a little bit, he spoke. “I was thinking. . .” 

He paused with a mischievous look in his eyes. Steve grinned as he paused. 

“You, uh. . .wanna top?” 

Steve rose his brows. “You want me to top?”

Danny nodded. “I want you to. . .” He rolled his hips against Steve’s pelvis. “I want you to fuck me.” He whispered. 

Steve grinned. “That sounds rough. . .” 

“And. . .?” Danny rose an eyebrow. 

Steve slowly shook his head. “I just hope you know what you are getting into.” 

Danny knew. He wanted it. He wanted to ache. He wanted to be sore. He wanted to experience the fucking of his lifetime. With Steve. “I do.” Danny murmured. “You up for it?”

Something overcame Steve. He rolled himself and Danny over so he towered over Danny. Danny chuckled as he laid on his back and looked up at Steve. Steve advanced in close, placing his lips against Danny’s forcefully. He moved his body up against Danny’s roughly, arching his back and moved his hips closer to gain some kind of friction. Steve let out a slightly stifled moan. “God, you’re so hot.” 

Danny bit his lower lip as he took in Steve’s body against his own. “You are, too, baby.” He gasped as he felt the shaft of Steve’s dick run along side his own. 

After a bit of breathless kisses and rubbing against each other, Steve broke from Danny’s lips. “You brushed your teeth.” 

Danny chuckled. “And?” 

“Nothing. . .just. . .tastes good.” 

“As good as strawberry chapstick?” 

Steve chuckled as he leaned back in and kissed Danny once more. He gently moved his lips against Danny’s, feeling every inch of the soft, velvety lips. Steve broke from Danny’s lips and momentarily paused. Then, he slithered down, keeping eye contact with the man as he kissed down his middle to his groin. He placed a single kiss at his inguinal line before pausing to look over Danny’s body. 

As sacrilegious as it sounded, Danny felt like a god as Steve kissed him everywhere. He felt worshiped by Steve’s lips and hands as they brushed every sensitive spot on his lower half of his body. He tilted his head back against the bed, staring at the ceiling and taking in several deep breaths. It felt so powerful to have his body idolized. Especially by another. 

Especially by Steve. 

Danny opened his eyes and looked back down to gaze at Steve and observe what he was doing. 

Steve opened his lips as he kissed the man’s inguinal line again and sucked on the sensitive spot, flicking his tongue along the crease. He smiled as he felt Danny squirm slightly and let out soft moans. He brought his lips together and a satisfying, small, suction noise echoed in his ears. He hummed as he brushed his hand along Danny’s leg and up his thigh. He looked up at the blue eyes that stared at him, completely drunk on arousal. He kept eye contact with the man, staring lovingly into his eyes. 

Danny gasped at he felt Steve tightly grasp onto his dick. 

Steve grinned as he parted his lips. He brushed his lower lip along the head before engulfing the aroused organ entirely down to the base. 

Danny’s eyes rolled back before he closed them. He tilted his head back and let out a moan. He clenched his fists against the sheets. 

Steve bobbed roughly and quickly, listening to the sounds Danny was making. He knew he was doing right by those noises. The noises and sounds that erupted with emotion from deep inside the man that laid before him, trying to wrap his mind around the pleasure he felt. 

“Oh, fuck, Steve.” Danny whispered desperately as he felt the man’s tongue zigzag back and forth up his shaft. “That feels so good.” He whispered. 

Steve hummed as he continued up and down the hardened, heated dick. He began to brush up and down Danny’s thigh with one hand and his other hand took hold of Danny’s dick and began to stroke it as he continued to suck on the top. 

Danny fidgeted and turned his head to the left. The feelings were building. He was close. . .too close too quickly. . . _oh, fuck._ Danny’s thigh began to shake slightly. “Oh, shit!” 

Steve stopped as Danny forcefully grabbed a hold of his wrist. He stopped all stimulation as Danny shuddered and let out a loud moan. 

“Someone’s getting _clo-ose_. . .” Steve murmured as he grinned. 

Danny breathed heavily and smiled. “You can’t blame me.” He paused, letting out several pants. “That feels so good.” 

“Why’d you stop me then?” Steve grinned.

“Cuz, I wanna cum with you in my ass.” Danny answered sassily. 

Steve laughed. He took his free hand and massaged Danny’s genitals with a flat hand before placing a kiss to his lower abdomen. He trailed back up to the man’s lips and placed a gentle kiss on them. 

Danny pushed Steve’s chest for him to move away. He sat up and kissed the man’s once more and they both knelt on their knees. Danny broke from the man’s lips and trailed down his body, kissing his jaw, his neck, his pecs, adding a lick and a nip at Steve’s nipples, moving down to his abs, and down to his groin. 

Steve grinned as the man kissed his body. He gently grazed his fingers along Danny’s back. 

Danny placed a hand to Steve’s abdomen and pushed him back slightly. “Get comfortable.” He murmured quietly. 

Steve switched his legs to lay out in front of him and breathed out with a smile as he leaned back. He kept himself propped up with his elbows. 

Danny smiled as he leaned over the lower half of Steve. He looked down and took a hold of Steve’s dick. He did the same thing Steve had done to him only minutes ago, engulfing the whole of Steve’s dick in his mouth, moving all the way down to the base before moving back up to the tip. 

“Oh, Danny. . .” Steve murmured as he closed his eyes. He tilted his head back as he felt Danny move back down and hold his mouth at his base for a good bit. Steve shifted his hips towards Danny’s mouth. “Oh, my god!” He whispered. 

Danny kept close as Steve thrusted. He did his best to deaden his need to gag. He felt Steve grab at his hair and clench on to it. He let out a small moan around Steve’s dick at the slightly pained grasp. 

The moan. . .the vibrations. . .

Steve let out a loud groan at the sensations. He guided Danny, adding only slightly pressure to aid Danny in going down, and only a slight tug to aid in Danny sliding up his aroused organ. He aided in Danny going down once more, holding his head there for a few moments. He released Danny’s hair. 

Danny gasped as he came off Steve’s hardened dick. He breathed heavily as he stroke Steve before going back, taking Steve back in his mouth, and settling at the base of the man’s rather longer dick. He swallowed around the shaft four times before heaving. 

Steve looked at Danny as the man hopped off his swollen red organ, turned, and coughed. He watched as Danny turned to look at him. “Sorry.” 

Steve shook his head and grinned. “No, you’re fine.” He paused, letting out a breath. “You feel so good.” 

Danny weakly smiled. 

Steve sat up and moved to Danny’s lips. As he kissed him, Steve wrapped his arms around Danny’s torso, his hands settling on Danny’s bare back. 

Danny held onto the man as well. His arms settled around Steve’s neck. They slowly drifted down in between his and Steve’s bodies. He gently gripped onto the man’s jawline. 

Steve smoothly rolled and turned, cradling Danny, gently setting his body where he had been seconds ago. He climbed on top Danny’s body, breaking from his lips to shift his knees to a comfortable position. 

Danny moved his hands under Steve’s arms and brushed along the man’s muscly back. He kissed the man with as much emotion as he could. The man’s lips, that felt so unbelievably good and smooth, moved against his own. 

Steve shifted his forearms to rest on the bed. He cradled Danny’s head in his arms gently. 

They kissed each other easily, gently, and deeply. Only small noises came from the both of them as they felt each other’s lips. 

Steve broke from Danny’s lips but stayed close, breathing heavily. “Turn over for me?” Steve asked breathlessly as he brushed his nose along Danny’s nose.

Danny grinned as he slowly turned over on his stomach. He waited, grinning as his eyes glanced around at the sheets beneath him. 

Steve grinned as he leaned close and inhaled as he traced his nose along the middle of Danny’s back. 

Danny felt goosebumps fly through his body as he felt Steve’s exhale against his skin. He closed his eyes as he felt Steve’s lips land on his shoulder blade. He sighed out loudly as he felt the lips move to the small of his back. 

Steve moved his lips away from the man’s body momentarily. He placed his flattened hands on Danny’s mid back. He then softly moved them down to the man’s. . .so plump, so luscious, so smooth. . .ever so lovely ass cheeks. 

Danny gasped in a small breath as Steve dug his fingers into his sculpted hindquarters. Danny grinned. “Oh, that’s good.” He whispered. 

Steve couldn’t help himself as leaned down and planted his lips on Danny’s ass cheek. 

Danny gasped again. 

Steve curled his lips back and let his teeth graze along the untanned, white skin. He gently narrowed the space between his teeth with Danny’s skin in between his teeth. 

“S-Steve!” He stuttered out as he gasped in a breath. 

Steve withdrew and licked his lips. “Mmmm.” He hummed as he lightly smacked the rump, causing it to jiggle slightly. 

Danny grinned. “You really like my ass don’t you?”

Steve bit his lower lip and shook his head. “Boy, do I.” 

Danny smiled as he took in small breaths through his parted lips. His stomach dropped and his dick throbbed hard against the sheets as he felt Steve’s chest against his shoulder blades. . .

And his dick in between his ass cheeks. 

Steve slowly began to rub up against Danny. _Fuck, that’s so hot._ Steve thought desperately as he continued the feel-good motions. He exhaled unevenly against Danny’s ear. “If I’m not careful, I’m gonna cum right now.” Steve murmured. 

“You better not.” Danny grinned. 

But how true was this? It was turning Steve on as he gently jutted his dick in between Danny’s ass cheeks. Hell, he felt it become easier to slide along the valley that was Danny’s crack. He looked down and saw that Danny’s crack and his own cock glistened with his pre-cum. “Oh, shit.” 

“If that’s pre-cum. . .” Danny murmured with a grin as felt the slightly warm fluid on his ass. 

Steve grinned as he stopped rubbing up against Danny. “What are you going to do about it?” 

Danny grinned. “Hold you down and make you wish you actually fucked me.”

Steve chuckled against his neck, placing his lips against it momentarily. “Oh, don’t worry. I have my own plans for you. Even if I did cum, I wouldn’t deny the pleasure of entering you.” 

Danny chuckled. “Aren’t you the charmer?” He murmured as he moved his hips against the bed, hoping soon that Steve would move along to thrust into him. 

Steve moved away from the man’s body once more. He kissed Danny’s shoulder blade. He sucked on a finger for a few moments, making sure it was nice and wet before bringing it to Danny’s opening. 

Danny leaned on his elbows and arched his back as he felt Steve’s finger slowly enter him. He hummed out a sigh. 

Steve moved slowly. He placed a hand in the small of Danny’s back, gently rubbing him in circles. He moved his finger. 

Danny breathed as shivers crept up his spine. He closed his eyes and moved his hips against the bed, feeling the friction along his hot and bothered cock. 

Steve easily slid in and out and decided to add another finger after pausing to drop gathered saliva down onto his fingers. 

Danny relaxed and grinned as Steve added another finger. 

Steve massaged the hole. He smiled as he watched Danny move his head around, tilting it up, and then moving it as to drop to look at the bed. Steve’s eyes gazed at the man’s asscheeks. Danny had popped them out to appear rounder and slightly bigger. He ran his hand down from Danny’s arch to his left asscheeks, rubbing it and squeezing it as he fingered the man. 

Danny grinned and bit his lower lip. He turned his head around to look at what Steve was doing. He liked what he saw. The bronzy, muscled man kept his eyes at the area of his focus. Then, his eyes flashed up to meet Danny’s. He smiled at him before focusing back to Danny’s ass. 

“Steve. . .” 

Steve’s eyes flashed up. He saw the desperate look in the blue eyes and knew. “You sure?” He asked as if Danny had already told him what he was thinking. 

Danny nodded with a grin. Seemingly being patient, but actually feeling very impatient, Danny waited as Steve reached into his drawer for lube. As the man had sat back on his legs and fiddled with the new tube, Danny sat up and scooted closer to the man. Danny grinned as he put an arm around Steve’s neck and kissed the man’s cheek. 

Steve grinned widely as he brought his arms around Danny and fiddled with the lube bottle in front of Danny. “Are you impatient or something?” Steve grinned as he tried to pull the seal off the bottle. 

“Now, whatever would make you think that?” Danny grinned as he kissed the man’s ear. 

Steve bit his lower lip as he felt a hue rise in his cheeks. “Eh, just a weird thing called body language.” He murmured as Danny swivel his hips against the his groin, making him throb in arousal. 

Danny could feel the man’s cheeks flush. He could also feel Steve’s abdomen muscles tighten as he moved his hips against him. He chuckled as he saw Steve slightly fumble with the lube. “You’re acting a little flustered, babe.” Danny murmured. 

“You’re making me fluster.” Steve chuckled as finally managed to pull the seal off the tube. Upon opening the bottle, some of the lube dribbled out of the bottle onto Danny’s middle. “Sorry!” Steve whispered. 

“It’s fine.” Danny murmured, going to wipe it off. 

“Here.” Steve scooped it up and moved his lubed hand to Danny’s aroused dick. He grinned as he began to stroke Danny and heard a groan rise from him as he tilted his head back into his shoulder. 

“Steve!” Danny gasped out as the man jerked on his hardened cock. He looked down as Steve wrapped an arm around his midsection and continued to stroke him. 

“Feel good?” Steve whispered to his ear. 

Danny nodded, drunk with desire. “Oh, yeah. . .” 

“Gonna be patient?” Steve asked as he slowed his strokes. 

Danny bit his lower lip. “Only if I have to.” He breathed out. 

Steve slowed, stroking out to the tip and stopping. He put his hands on Danny’s waist and helped  him move forward. 

Danny breathed heavily and moved his hips against the bed, waiting impatiently for Steve. 

Steve poured some lube into his hand. He closed it and threw the bottle off to the side. He ran his hand up Danny’s opening before stroking himself with the extra lube on the hand. 

Danny bit his lower lip as Steve moved closer. 

Steve paused, watching Danny for a moment. His body gleamed, his breathing had picked up, and a slight glisten made his body shine under the dim light. 

Danny turned around. “You good?” 

“Yeah, just. . .staring at your body.” Steve murmured as his hand drifted down his asscheek. 

Danny was slightly desperate. However, he had to admit, Steve was sweet and endearing in a moment like this, where he’d just stop to. . .‘take in the view’ so to speak. 

_Okay._ Steve let out a small breath. Steve stroked himself once and held himself steady as he moved one of Danny’s ass cheeks. He teased Danny’s opening, brushing it lightly with the head of his dick. Steve watched as he stopped the teasing and his dick disappeared into Danny as he pushed himself in. 

Danny popped his ass out and his eyes rolled back in his head as he felt Steve easily slide into him. He tilted his head up and dropped his jaw into a smile. “Oh, fuck. . .” He whispered. 

Steve leaned over and placed a hand on the bed near Danny’s shoulder. He let out a pleased hum as his chest met Danny’s shoulder blades. 

Danny breathed heavily and rapidly against the bed, trying to get a hold of his emotions as his hole tightened around Steve’s dick. He rested his head against his arm. He felt Steve’s lips on his exposed neck. 

“You okay?” 

Danny let out a small chuckle. “Yeah. . .gimme a sec?” 

“Mm-hmm.” Steve hummed as he placed his lips on Danny’s neck and kissed him gently. 

Danny took in a deep breath. He gripped onto his own hair with his right hand and hitched back his hips. “Okay.” He murmured.  

“You good?” Steve asked as he moved an arm underneath Danny’s right arm that was up still gripping his hair. 

Danny nodded with a grin. “Yeah.” He paused. “You have a big dick.” 

Steve chuckled against Danny’s neck making goosebumps erupt through his body. “Um. . .sorry?”

Danny laughed. “Don’t be, it just. . .takes a second, you know?” 

Steve smiled. “Oh, I know.” He said thinking of the previous night. 

Danny laughed. “You, of all people, should.” 

They both chuckled. Danny settled with his laughter slowly as he looked over his shoulder into the wide hazel eyes. 

Steve reached from underneath Danny’s arm and gently placed a hand on Danny’s neck. Danny’s right hand drifted down to rest on Steve’s wrist. 

“Oh, Danny.” Steve murmured before he strained to meet his lips. Their lips met and stayed connected for a few moments. 

Danny broke from the lips and gasped loudly. 

Steve slowly began to move his pelvis against Danny’s rump. 

With every small thrust, Danny’s chest clenched with desire and excitement. He was titillated and so turned on. 

Steve softly stroked Danny’s neck with his thumb. He placed his lips against the back of Danny’s neck. 

Danny let out a soft moan at the feel of Steve’s lips on his neck. It tickled, but it was a good tickle. One that sent shivers down his spine and through his body making him shudder underneath Steve as the man slowly thrusted into him. Danny let out another soft moan as he took in Steve’s slow thrusts. 

“Oh, god, Danny, that’s so good.” Steve whispered into his ear. 

“Yeah?” Danny murmured desperately. 

Steve smiled into his neck as he thrusted into the man. “Oh, yeah.” Steve rested his forehead against Danny’s shoulder blades. 

Danny moved his hips against the bed, begging for any kind of pressure against his throbbing dick. “Fuck me.” 

Steve smiled and moved his hips a little faster. 

An overwhelming sense of arousal flooded through Danny. He moaned out small noises as Steve continued to thrust into him. Suddenly, Steve had moved from his body. He felt a sharp sting from his hair being grabbed. He winced as he lifted his body up against Steve’s. “Damn, Steve, take it easy!” Danny huffed out. 

“Sorry.” Steve murmured. “I want you like this.” 

“Okay, okay, but. . .” He breathed in. “Just. . .take it easy. Tell me what you’re doing.” He chuckled. 

Steve wrapped his arm around Danny’s waist and wrapped his other arm around Danny’s shoulder and neck, holding onto Danny’s pec. “Okay.” He paused. “I’m going to kiss your neck.” He whispered. He softly touched the man’s neck with his lips. “I’m going to start moving.” He murmured as he began to thrust his hips against Danny’s ass. “I’m going to start stroking your dick.” He grinned as he looked down and grabbed the man’s hardened organ.

Danny grinned as he felt Steve stroke his the length of his cock. The man was teasing him like crazy. “Okay, okay. Enough.” He paused. “Just. . .tell me when you’re going to do something like that. . .” 

Steve chuckled and kissed his neck. “Deal.” 

Danny chuckled as he was pushed forward to lay on his belly. He did so and glanced behind him. 

Steve leaned over and kissed his neck again. “Turn over.” Steve murmured with lust. 

Danny grinned as he turned his chest over and gazed up at the man. 

Steve smiled as he took Danny’s leg and moved it to follow the rest of the man’s body. His smiled widened as he ran his hands up the man’s legs, towards his groin. Steve scooted closer to his body, leaning down and placing his lips against Danny’s. 

Danny smiled as he placed his hands on Steve’s cheeks, keeping him close. He pulled slightly from the lips he was kissing. “Put it in.” 

Slightly surprised at Danny’s eagerness, Steve grinned as he looked down and moved his body up so he could see what he was doing. 

Danny kissed his cheek and rotated his hips up slightly. 

Steve chuckled as he aimed his dick towards Danny’s entrance. Danny babbled something. . .it sounded a lot like a mantra of ‘put it in, put it in, put it in’. It made Steve chuckle again. “You eager or something, Danno?” 

“Fuck, Steve. I want you now.” Danny murmured intensely. 

Steve chuckled at the man’s desperation and moved himself into Danny. 

Danny let out a loud groan. 

Steve moved his hips against Danny. He leaned closer and stared at Danny. He moved his hips quickly. 

After a few minutes of fast, quick thrusts, Danny felt that feeling drawing closer. He was feeling desperate. He was close. 

And getting closer. 

Danny took in a deep gasp. “Oh, god, Steve!” He shouted. He reached down to stroke himself to the finish, but Steve grabbed both of his wrists, pinning them above his head to the bed. Danny thrusted up to Steve’s abdomen. “Steve, no!” He whispered breathlessly. “Please!” He begged. He grinned as he closed his eyes tightly and tilted his head to one side as he huffed out several breaths. 

Steve chuckled and leaned closer. He kissed Danny’s neck to get his attention. The man looked up into his eyes. “I wanna fuck the cum out of you.” Steve murmured as he gazed into Danny’s bright blue eyes. 

Danny tilted his head back. “Oh, god. Please. . .just. . .” He breathed heavily as Steve thrusted into him quickly. 

“I know, I know.” Steve whispered as he leaned closer to him. “Tell me when you’re there.” He whispered, his lips brushing against Danny’s. 

Danny closed his eyes. “I’m so close.” He gasped in as Steve’s lips drifted to land on his own. 

Steve grinned as he kissed Danny. He thrusted quickly and efficiently into Danny, causing him to moan and groan in pleasure against his lips.  

“Oh, fuck!” Danny let out. “You’re gonna make me cum.” He whispered. 

Steve changed his quick thrusts into long, deep ones. His lips landed on Danny’s shoulder. “Cum, baby, cum.” He murmured. 

Danny let out a loud moan. A series of thrilling spasms jetted through him as his muscles contracted and hot fluid shot out of his dick onto his lower abdomen. “Oh, shit.” He moaned out as Steve continued to thrust into him. 

Steve grinned as he looked down in between their bodies. A white substance had covered Danny’s lower abdomen and some of it had sprinkled on his own mid section. He chuckled. 

“Keep going.” Danny murmured with his voice cracking as he clenched his fists, working through his massive orgasm. He continued to let out small moans. He let his head fall to the bed and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Waves drifted through him up his body as he shuddered out. 

“Oh, god, Danny.” Steve murmured as he continued to thrust. He moved quicker and a little faster. “My turn.” He whispered gently pulling out of Danny and stroking himself. He gave himself several strokes before feeling that rushing, overwhelming contraction. “Oh god.” He breathed as the white liquid jetted out, falling onto Danny’s stomach. He hummed his satisfaction, continuing to stroke himself through the after shocks. He shuddered out breaths of pleasure and moans of completion. After gazing over the area his white seed that had landed on, he slowly looked up to Danny’s face. 

Danny kept his eyes closed, grinning as he breathed heavily. He twitched slightly as aftershocks of pleasure attacked his body. 

Steve slowly leaned down and gently placed his lips on Danny’s collar bone. He grinned as he felt the man spasm beneath him. He moved his lips to Danny’s neck and then looked up into the man’s eyes. He smiled as Danny opened his eyes slightly and smiled at him. Steve placed his lips against Danny’s.

Danny trembled beneath him and smiled into the kiss. He brought a hand to Steve’s cheek and gently grazed the man’s cheek with his thumb. 

Steve pulled and smiled. He looked down and moved to Danny’s stomach. 

Shivers ran through Danny’s body as he felt Steve’s tongue along his abs. He shuddered and turned his head to the right and then to left as Steve continued to lick. 

Steve finished and looked down. He had left an area untouched. He took two fingers and touched the liquid with them. He glanced up at Danny and offered him his fingers. 

Danny took the man’s wrist and wrapped his lips around the fingers, tasting the both of them as he sucked on the fingers. 

Steve grinned as he leaned back down to place his lips against Danny’s once more. 

“Oh god. . .” Danny sighed out. 

Steve brushed his nose along Danny’s. “Good?” 

“Fantastic.” Danny smiled at him. “Best thing to wake up to.”

Steve grinned and huffed out a hum. “You good to get ready for work?” 

Danny sighed out loudly. “Forgot about it, honestly.” He paused. “I’m not thinking about a lot right now.” He chuckled. 

Steve smiled. “What? You fucked senseless?” 

Danny chuckled. “Something like that.” 

Steve grinned. He leaned in and placed his lips against Danny’s, holding the man close. 

Danny brought his hands up to grasp onto Steve’s cheeks. Danny held Steve close, brushing his thumbs against the man’s cheeks. 

Steve broke and sighed against the man’s lips. “Let’s go shower.” 

Danny let out another sigh. “Give me a moment.” Danny murmured as he placed his head against the pillow. A wonderful numbing, weightlessness overcame his body. Everything felt light and good.

So good. So wonderful.

Steve grinned. “I’ll go grab you some coffee.” He said as he got up from the bed. 

Danny watched the man head to the door. “Steve?” 

Steve stopped and turned to look at him. “Yeah?” 

Danny smiled at him. “I love you.” 

Steve smiled back at him. “I love _you_.” 

Danny grinned as Steve turned and headed out of the room. He settled his head against the pillow. He let his body go limp. He felt everything at that moment. Love, completeness, content. . .

Danny breathed in and slowly breathed out. 

Everything felt good.


	24. Chapter 24

It was a few months later. 

Steve had been mulling and working on some paper work in his office. The cousins had left for the day. Steve stopped to look out his office window. The light was dimming outside. A purply orange set on the clouds near the horizon. The city lights brightened the world only slightly, reflecting off the clouds that began to cover the sky. As pretty as it was, Steve couldn’t get past the dull throbbing in his head from too much paper work and too much frustration from that work week. 

To put it bluntly, it had been a down right irritating week for Steve. With work, personal errands needing to be completed that still weren’t even started, and the lack of sleep, Steve’s frustration was justified. However, despite those things, the most irritating and frustrating thing on Steve’s mind was the fact that he barely got time to spend with Danny that week. The only time they managed to spend together was the occasional drive to a place of interest or a walk down stairs to question a person of interest. . .

But nothing to satisfy Steve’s interest. His _personal_ interest.

He had to admit, he’d been a little short that week with people. With not spending time with Danny, he just felt so off. . .

Steve had been tired that week and had not kept to a regular workout schedule. And with eating takeout a lot that week. . .

Ultimately, Steve was feeling like crap. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

He had also been feeling this uncomfortable, nagging feeling at him all day. It wasn’t like physically uncomfortable, just mentally. . .like a thought that just wouldn’t go away. It was a craving. An odd craving. . .

A craving for raw meat. 

His mouth watered at the thought of a delicious meal of sushi. _God, that sounds so good right now._ Steve thought as his stomach ached from being empty for a while. Steve shook himself. _Finish here, and then I can go get some._

Danny looked up from his office. Steve had been acting strange that all week. He seemed slightly irritated and distant. _I hope I haven’t done something to upset him. We haven’t had a real talk in a while._ _Maybe I should talk to him real quick._ He got up from his desk and walked out to Steve’s office. He knocked softly on the door that stood slightly ajar. 

“Come in.” 

Danny pushed the door to open more and walked in. 

Steve looked up from his work. A soft smile spread across his lips. “Hey.” He murmured. 

“Hey, babe. . .” He murmured. 

Steve clasped his hands together. “What can I do for you, Danno?” 

Danny smiled gently at the name. He loved hearing it from Steve. Then, his smile faded and his face turned serious. “Look, I’ll get right into it.”

Steve rose his eyebrows. 

“You’ve been acting off. . .all week and. . .if I did something to offend you or make you upset, I’d like to know so I can properly apologize-”

“Whoa, whoa.” Steve said as he furrowed his brows. “Who says this is about something you did?” 

“Me. . .I only presumed. . .”

Steve grinned. “Danny. . .this is not about you at all.” 

Danny rose his brows. 

“Well. . .” Steve tilted his head. “That’s not entirely true. . .” Steve glanced at his couch. “Why don’t we sit?” He asked as he stood up and crossed over to his office couch. 

Danny walked over and sat down with Steve sitting right next to him. He brought his gaze to Steve’s and kept them there. 

“I’ve been a complete ass this week. I’ve been ornery. . .frustrated. . .irritated, and. . .” He paused. “I hope I haven’t taken it out on you.”  

Danny shook his head. “You haven’t.” He paused. “Is everything okay?” Danny tilted his head. 

“Yeah. . .for the most part. . .” Steve looked at his hands that fiddled around in his lap.

Danny waited for a moment. “Is it. . .something about Mary?”  

“Mary’s fine. As is Joan.” 

“Good, good. Are we okay?” 

Steve looked at him. “Things are. . .okay on my end.” 

“Just okay?” Danny asked. “Can I make things. . .better than okay?” 

“Well. . .I’m mean. . .I’m just a little upset that we haven’t really spent time together this past week. I know work’s been busy and we have our own lives outside of work and outside our relationship.” He paused. “I guess. . .I’m just. . .suffering from withdrawals.” He said with a small chuckle. “Or something.” 

Danny grinned and chuckled with him. “Withdrawals? Wow. You’ve got it bad.” 

“I’ve got what bad?” Steve asked with a grin. 

“An addiction. . .to-” Danny gestured to himself. “Yours truly.” 

Steve chuckled. “Oh, do I, now?” 

“Yeah. You said it yourself. You’re pining for ‘us time’. I’d say it’s normal. . .especially with newly made relationships.” Danny said as he softly looked at Steve. 

Steve smiled. “Glad I’m not a freak.” He murmured with a raise of his eyebrows.

“Oh, you’re only my freak.” Danny murmured as he leaned in closer. 

Steve grinned as the shorter man leaned in close and placed his lips against Steve’s for a moment. 

Danny broke and settled back on the couch. “What else? There’s something else. Are you okay?” 

“No, yeah. I’m okay.” Steve smiled at him. “It’s just been. . .one of those weeks, ya know?” 

Danny tilted his head. 

“Like. . .you know those days where everything seems to go wrong and nothing seems to turn out right?” 

Danny slowly nodded. “Yeaaaah. . .” He stretched the word. 

“Everyday this week has been like that for me. I’ve been tired, going home and crashing on my bed, snoozing past my alarm to get up and work out, and then coming to work where the cases that we’re working on aren’t working out.” Steve said. 

Danny placed a hand on Steve’s wrist, rubbing it gently. 

“And. . .that on top of us not spending time together, it’s. . .it’s just frustrating and hard, ya know?” 

Danny smiled softly. “Not surprisingly, I get it. I know that feeling you’re talking about.”

Steve looked up at him and smiled. “I’m sorry that I’ve been distant and. . .pissy.” He said with a small chuckle. 

Danny smiled and shook his head. “You’re alright. I just wanted to check in.” 

Steve nodded and leaned in. He placed his lips against Danny’s, taking in a small breath as he pulled from the man’s lips. 

Danny patted his hands. “How much work do you have?” 

“Oh, just another report. I can put the rest off till tomorrow.” 

“Well. . .I was thinking. . .maybe when you finish, if you’re up for it, we can get take out. . .and go back to your place. . .and watch something before sneaking up to your room. . .” He stopped giving Steve a look. 

“Ah, damn good cuz, I’ve had some massive cravings.”

“Cravings? What have you been you been craving?” 

“Besides you? Raw meat.” 

Danny tilted his head. “What?” Thoughts picked up in his head about carnal cravings of raw steak or chicken. . . _is he turning back? Is this the start of him turning back to a dog? Or worse, dying?!_ “Raw meat?” 

“Yeah, like. . .sushi? Fish? I’ve been craving it all week. Doesn’t that sound good right now?” 

Danny looked at him. “Are you feeling okay?”

Steve gazed back at him. “Yeaaah. . .” He stretched out the word. “You?” 

“Yes, I’m fine, but. . .I’m worried about you.” 

Steve chuckled. “Danny. . .what’re you going on about?” 

Danny was slightly anxious. 

He had it all over his face. His pressed lips, his furrowed eyebrows, his concerned eyes. . .Steve could only shake his head at him. “What? Out with it?”

“Come on, cravings? Have you felt nauseated? Dizzy? Any abdominal pains?” Danny shot questions at him. 

Steve shook his head. “No, Danny. . .I-” Then it clicked. _Ohhh, he’s thinking the cravings are linked to. . ._ “This isn’t about. . .me being a dog again, is it?” 

Danny looked at him and shrugged. “Maybe. . .” 

“Danny-”

“No, Steve. What if the cure didn’t work? What if you are slowly turning back?” 

“Danny. . .hey, I’m not turning back. . .” Steve grinned. “It worked.” He paused as he shifted next to Danny. “Look. . .there’s a. . .certain feeling, or rather several feelings that accompany the. . .‘turning back symptoms’. It hurts. It feels awful. You’re drained and delirious half the time. Your senses go in and out from being able to smell the restaurant 2 blocks away to not being able to hear shit.” Steve paused. He brought a hand to Danny’s neck and smiled as his thumb stroked along Danny’s warm jawline. It was slightly rough from his stubble. Probably because he had not shaved for a few days. “I don’t feel any of that right now. Alright? And if I do. . .you’ll be the first to know. I'm due for another series of tests in a week. Last time, which was 3 months ago, they didn't find anything. I am confident they won't find anything this time around either, alright?” 

Danny smiled as he felt Steve’s thumb brush across his lips. He nodded. “Alright.” 

“Alright. And for the record. . .” He paused. “I don’t think dogs crave raw fish meat.”   

Danny grinned. “Apparently, this dog does.” He grinned as he poke Steve’s side. 

Steve curled up and let out a few laughs as he grabbed at Danny’s hands. “No!” He gasped out. 

Danny giggled as he tried again and again to grab at Steve’s sides. 

Steve grabbed Danny’s hands. “No, Danno!” He murmured, chuckling as he did. 

They settled and Steve caressed Danny’s hands. They sat quietly as Steve rubbed his fingers along Danny’s. “I don’t think I’d be here without you.” 

“What?” 

“Those days. . .when I was. . .not human. . .” Steve paused. “If you didn’t bring me with you when you went out looking for me. . .I wouldn’t have made it.” 

“You would’ve made it. Just. . .not as in the best of shape right now.” Danny said with a smile. 

Steve grinned at him and shook his head. “You’re kind but. . .I wouldn’t have made it.” He paused. “You heard what Dr. Young had said. If I hadn’t gotten treatment sooner, I would’ve died. And. . .I believe that. Cuz where I was at, with pain levels and what I was feeling. . .it felt like death was close. Too close.” 

Danny smiled lightly. “Well. . .I know you would do the same for me.” He paused. “Especially knowing what I know now.” 

“And what is that?” Steve asked as he placed his hand back on Danny’s neck, resting his elbow on the couch. He gently rubbed Danny’s neck. 

“That you love me.” 

Steve stared at him easily. 

Danny suppressed a shiver as Steve’s fingers brushed along the tendons in his neck. “And I hope you know that. . .I love you.” Danny said as he looked into the man’s eyes that stared back at him. 

Steve glanced down at their hands that were still connected. He looked back up at Danny. “I love you, too.” He said with a smile. 

Danny smiled at him and scooted closer. “Come here.” 

Steve grinned as he scooted closer, leaning in. Steve brushed his nose gently along Danny’s before he placed his lips softly against Danny’s. He gently moved his hand from Danny’s neck to Danny’s jawline. 

Danny grinned into the kiss as he placed a hand on Steve’s wrist to the hand that held his cheek softly. 

If the kiss had only been a moment, or an hour, either way, they loved each other. 

Always. . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it! I certainly had a blast writing it!   
> Stay tuned for a sequel and an epilogue that will be out soon!


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